Fall 2018, Arch 203 – Urban Activity Center

The project for the semester is called an URBAN ACTIVITY CENTER; a multi-program urban building in San Francisco organized around the common subject of physical activity. The site is a vacant lot adjacent to the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, on Franklin Street between Hickory and Oak. The premise is that the building is for the use of Conservatory students, who currently have no facilities for physical activities. The site lies at the nexus of Hayes Valley, Mid-Market and Civic Center, which are neighborhoods know as local centers for food and technology. The primary elements of the program are a ground floor lap pool, an indoor court for a mix of sports such as basketball and badminton, an outdoor/rooftop court, and a series of flexible use spaces for gym equipment and other types of physical activities. The program is relatively direct and the variables somewhat limited. The goal will be to move quickly through the planning phase of the project so that we have ample time to study and describe the material and spatial effects of the project, which is the great opportunity fo design.