Stitching SABurbia
I am driven by the belief that the built environment can change everyday life. After gaining valuable experience from working with interior design and architecture studios, it was my time working on the streets and public spaces when working in urban design that truly shaped my path. It reminded me why I was drawn to architecture in the first place, its power to serve communities and transform lives through the built environment. To learn to design for whole urban systems, I chose to pursue a Master’s in Architecture and Urbanism.
About the project:
The project began with a vision to connect neighborhoods and nature. This stems from the disconnect between the valley stream landscape and the town above. While there are plenty of dedicated open spaces, the aim is to integrate open spaces within neighbourhoods. Meanwhile, Sabadell being a suburban town connected to Barcelona, it faces population increase. To restrict further horizontal urban sprawl that would cover more natural landscape, the neighbourhood is imagined rising in height.
The masterplanning of the neighbourhood took a multi-dimensional approach to imagine a vibrant area with higher residential density within the fixed space constraint. It focused on creating more open spaces, a smaller building footprint, and light and wind permeability. The utopian neighbourhood form embraces pedestrianisation and a green network within the existing framework.
In the final stage, these principles are architecturally re-imagined for implementation in a single block of the neighbourhood. While the masterplan delivers a futuristic vision, its core ideas are re-designed to co-exist with the existing neighbourhood. With site analysis, the proposal’s footprint is further reduced in a new design language. The design creates a mixed arrangement of diverse unit typologies. A hierarchy of open spaces within and around the building enables vibrant activities, stitching the neighbourhood into a community.
