Knapp's Building
The Knapp's building was the backdrop for my senior thesis project in Spring of 2011. The building is located in downtown Lansing, Michigan and was completed in 1939. It was originally built for the J.W. Knapp Company, a store selling dry goods, coats and carpets. The building has been empty for many years now, though both the interior and exterior remain in good condition. During the Fall of 2010, it served as the basis for a programming document compiled of research, bubble diagrams, block diagrams and adjacency matrices. My design transformed the Knapp's building into La Vida Residential Community, a self-sustaining community with residential units, a retail space, and a cafe.
Mega-Concept
The mega-concept for this design will be a tree. A tree is a stable, life-sustaining element which exemplifies growth, nature, and many parts working as a whole. These are concepts which will be vital to the design of La Vida.
Though the qualities of all trees are emblematic of the qualities to be used in this design, the image above, entitled Tree of Life by artist Fawaz Alolaiwat, truly exemplifies the concepts to be used in the redesign of Knapp’s Office Centre. This portrayal of a tree focuses on the colorful leaves and branches. Each of these colorful circles displays diversity and uniqueness, while also showing a unity in the way in which they come together. These are attributes that the design of the facility as a residential community will achieve. Trees are dynamic elements, changing with the seasons and providing oxygen. Trees are alive, while also sustaining life. They are composed of many parts: leaves, branches, bark, a trunk, and roots. La Vida will provide a shelter for users and a place for them to grow, just like a tree. Each floor of the building is like a branch full of diverse people, like leaves of different colors which together form a whole; this is what the design will strive to achieve.
Though the qualities of all trees are emblematic of the qualities to be used in this design, the image above, entitled Tree of Life by artist Fawaz Alolaiwat, truly exemplifies the concepts to be used in the redesign of Knapp’s Office Centre. This portrayal of a tree focuses on the colorful leaves and branches. Each of these colorful circles displays diversity and uniqueness, while also showing a unity in the way in which they come together. These are attributes that the design of the facility as a residential community will achieve. Trees are dynamic elements, changing with the seasons and providing oxygen. Trees are alive, while also sustaining life. They are composed of many parts: leaves, branches, bark, a trunk, and roots. La Vida will provide a shelter for users and a place for them to grow, just like a tree. Each floor of the building is like a branch full of diverse people, like leaves of different colors which together form a whole; this is what the design will strive to achieve.
Concept Statement
Concept: Ash Tree
The harmony of the different parts of an ash tree and the harmony of the tree with nature will inspire this design. La Vida will strive to be both a symbol of life and a place where life can thrive. The design of the space will reflect a natural harmony of parts with interconnected designs between the various spaces.
The color schemes of each space will reflect the colorful variations displayed on an ash tree each season. Forms will inspire the design as well; the shape of a leaf from the ash tree will be utilized throughout the space. The design will strive to make use of horizontal, vertical, and curvilinear lines to create visual interest and emulate the natural forms and lines of the ash tree. The variety in line, shape, and form will add flow and excitement to the design, creating a space that will successfully intrigue users and invite them to enjoy themselves.
The harmony of the different parts of an ash tree and the harmony of the tree with nature will inspire this design. La Vida will strive to be both a symbol of life and a place where life can thrive. The design of the space will reflect a natural harmony of parts with interconnected designs between the various spaces.
The color schemes of each space will reflect the colorful variations displayed on an ash tree each season. Forms will inspire the design as well; the shape of a leaf from the ash tree will be utilized throughout the space. The design will strive to make use of horizontal, vertical, and curvilinear lines to create visual interest and emulate the natural forms and lines of the ash tree. The variety in line, shape, and form will add flow and excitement to the design, creating a space that will successfully intrigue users and invite them to enjoy themselves.
Concept Images
Programming Phase
Preliminary Sketches
Floor Plan- First Floor
Floor Plan-Fifth Floor
Construction Documents
La Vida Residential Community at Knapp's
View more presentations from lutleyel
Elevations
Perspectives
Design Solutions
The Knapp's building offered challenges for redesign because of the fact that it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. None of the exterior of the building could be changed, but the fifth floor needed more daylight in order to become residential space. In order to create more daylight, I added skylights, transom windows, and interior windows that look out into the lounge area. In the lounge area, I created an atrium space that spanned from the first floor to the roof of the building, made entirely of glass with a glass ceiling in order to let in as much daylight as possible. The atrium was shaped like the leaf of an ash tree, a shape that I tried to use in the space whenever possible without overwhelming the design. I also created a curved wall with a bar in the cafe looking out at the atrium. The shape of the atrium needed to be emulated in the cafe wall as opposed to a straight wall which would have divided the spaces and the design.