CONCEPTUAL MIXED-USE

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LANDSTAR DEVELOPMENTS

commercial, mixed use

conceptual design

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The design brief was precise. Create a luxury mixed use condo complex that respects the existing residential context. Undoubtedly,  respecting context is an ongoing challenge for architecture, but when designing a first-in tall building in a well established  low rise residential neighborhood, the scalar relationship with the contextual surrounding is amplified. The largest concern is over shadowing. Instead of allowing this to become a contentious issue deeper into the regulatory and appeal processes, shadows were introduced as a driver for the formal massing of the project. The resultant form is one that casts the longest shadows down streets, back alleys, and into commercial lots at off peak times. The massing strategy also breaks down the nine storey building in smaller more palatable scalar units, giving the building a smaller sense of scale from the street.