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Amera Youssef

My name is Amera Youssef, a current fifth-year student in the Architecture Program at Northeastern University. Being a student that has immigrated from Egypt to America at an older age, I have had the privilege of interacting with different cultures, gaining a deeper understanding of how people interact with one another. Moving from Cairo to New Jersey to Massachusetts, I became interested in how a city’s topography and urban scale influence its community. Studying architecture has never just been about design for me, it is about the feeling a space gives and the stories it can tell within the bigger scheme of its surrounding. My variant work experience has also taught me a lot about working closely with people, either in a group setting or on an individual one-on-one basis. I have been financially independent for a couple of years now, gaining work experience in many fields. Each opportunity allowed me to enter the next phase of my life with a new perspective and understanding of my work and goals both in and outside the work environment.

AN INCOMPLETE MANIFESTO FOR GROWTH Bruce Mau

Table of Contents 1. 2. 3. 4.

Block By Block ................................................................................................ Boston Public Library .................................................................................. Performing Arts School .............................................................................. Hope on Union ...............................................................................................

6 12 20 28

BLOCK BY BLOCK

Forty years after the development of the South West Corridor, the lack of local support and economic growth continues to be a struggle. Fighting to hold ground in city, these same local residences, congested into scattered neighborhoods, are fronted with yet another ongoing battle: neighborhood gentrification under the PROGRAM BYtheBLOCK DIAGRAM latest wave of industrial development. Establishing common ground between neighborhoods along the Southwest Corridor that focuses on nourishing local business will help develop a more stable and healthy community. The site will host a community center dedicated to local business education and certification, as well as community engagement activities for the local community. In support of the main anchor site, placing nodes of local support along main streets of Boston will begin to serve each neighborhood with site specific activities that focus on each neighborhoods’ needs.

PECTIVE

PHASE ONE: Extending SW Corridor Park Across the Street.

PHASE TWO: Creating Programed Paths Throughout Site

PHASE THREE: Adding Pavilion and Designing Green Space as Program

PHASE FOUR: Adding Flex and Program Space

ELEVATIONS

DESIGN AXONOMETRIC

SITE PLAN

Trees Curb Sidewalk ANCHOR GREEN SP SCALE BAR 1:5 0

100

500

BLOCK SCALE - PROGRAM DIAGRAM

BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY

Boston Public Library The site for the library is located on the new intersection between South End Boston and Roxbury. This facility is dedicated to maintaining close ties to the local neighborhood yet also providing better access to all residents of Boston. The main focus of the project is the circulation in and out the library, as well as the circulation throughout each floor. These tunneled paths allow the community to loop throughout the building in a way that is interactive to both the purpose of the building, as well as to its community and surrounding.

FACADE FRONT VIEW BACK VIEW

The site for the library is a very narrow strip between South End Boston and Roxbury. It is necessary to accommodate for all community members of both neighborhoods. The diagram on the left shows the program distribution. The red first floor is the most public and accessible compared to all other levels. This floor acts as a node, connecting the front entrance to the back entrance, allowing for crowds to intermix freely. As you make your way up the library through the guided curated circulation, you are carefully led up through private and public spaces, and back down.

Rear Entrance

PERFORMING ARTS SCHOOL

The site for the school is one city block in the South End neighborhood of Boston. Each edge of this site presents a distinct kind of urban fabric. This school proposal is specialized for students of the performing arts. It will serve grades 9-12, and its enrollment of 220 students will come from all parts of the city. The auditorium of the school will also function as a public Performing Arts Center. The program consists of two large spaces (the auditorium and outdoor performance space) and many smaller spaces of various sizes and uses. The program also specifies areas that are spatially “open” and connected to circulation areas. Then there are contrasting spaces that are specifically contained or closed.

CONCEPT

CIRCULATION

ACCESSIBILITY

DISTRIBUTION

78’

53’ 39’

Hope on Union

The residential portion of the building is divided into 30'x30' modular units. These can house either two or three bedroom apartments and, when split in half, one bedroom apartments. By doing this we are able to easily accommodate different housing needs, from growing families to students. Each unit is afforded a shared balcony space with beautiful Spanish style arches.

In collaboration with Madha Nawal, Nora Masler and Cameron Meier

Maintaining the LA vernacular Spanish revival style, we designed a three-story courtyard apartment intended to foster community. Through private and shared spaces, residents are invited to connect while maintaining a sense of autonomy of their own space. The shaded balconies and courtyards provide a cool green growing produce, community events and educational gatherings.

Hope on Union Apartments Northeastern University Anti/Displacement Studio

9 BUILDING SECTION

CLAY TILE SPANISH STYLE ROOF

CORNER UNIT BALCONIES

INTERIOR BALCONIES + COLONNADE CREATE INNER COURTYARD

ROOF DECK SPACE MIX OF 1, 2, AND 3 BED UNITS PAVILION FABRIC COVER PAVILION SIMPLE STRUCTURE + MIX OF SEATING AND STAGE

DESIGN ELEMENTS

This design encompass public space in the form of a storefront that could manifest as a cafe on the corner of 22nd street and Union avenue. The awnings and balconies provide shade while the large windows welcome the community inside. The inner courtyard is lined with Spanish style arches and houses the main public spaces: the covered pavilion, pergola and community garden. Residents of the apartment as well as surrounding community members are encouraged to use the Pavilion as a flexible space able to host family gatherings such as quinceneras, community classes or church events. Hope on Union Apartments Northeastern University Anti/Displacement Studio

12 ST VIEW FROM CORNER OF 22ND AND UNION

Hope on Union Apartments Northeastern University Anti/Displacement Studio

Looking to meet the needs of the Union Park community, and the residents of the apartments, the space is designed to subtly distinguish private and public green space, with a courtyard and roof deck area intended primarily for the use of residents, and a large park area for the use of the greater community. Each of these spaces contains ample shading by fruit trees, which provides refuge from the hot Southern California sun, while also yielding much-needed fresh produce. Methods for creating cool and tranquil environments are implemented throughout the plan. For example, a water feature in the courtyard provides a cooling effect while also creating a calming auditory and visual experience. Additionally, the driveway area, previously only intended for cars with views of barbed wire, is transformed into a colorful shaded seating area with the use of Bougainvillea and Grape Vines, intertwined around a canopy structure where the community can enjoy meals provided by the church, or rest on hot days.

Hope on Union Apartments Northeastern University Anti/Displacement Studio

Roof Deck

Community Garden Southern California Climate Resilience:

Pavilion Paved Walkway

Corner Cafe

UNION AVE.

One-Way Drive Thru

Courtyard

Drop Off Zone

Shared Balconies

3 Story Apartments

22nd ST.

Pergola + Seating

aims to tactfully manage water through xeriscaping techniques such as the use of permeable gravel in place of grass and drought-resistant native plants. Designated water catchment basins are placed throughout the site to capture rainwater and runoff from buildings, which can be used to water the vegetable garden, fruit trees, and decorative plants. Permeable pavement is also used in the drop-off and driveway areas, allowing water to Accessibility: Following the values of inclusivity, the public green space also includes a community garden with raised garden beds, ensuring that all members of the community can take part in growing produce without the concern of physical strain or mobility required for kneeling to tend to ground level plots. Furthermore, the pavilion in the center of the plan as well as the courtyard can easily be reached using a paved walkway, to ensure accessibility for strollers, wheelchairs, or wheeled- carts.