Peipei Wu
California Polytechnic State University
San Luis Obispo
Class: Arch 253
Term: Spring Quarter, 2020
Instructor: Kelle Brooks
Project: The Mateo House
Project Description:
Located in Art District, LA, the Mateo House is a social housing program that strives to provide dwellings with high individuality as well as to give people a sense of ownership. Balcony space embedded in each unit defines the interior layout and allows the residents to have outdoor livings in their own units while privacy is highly protected. Aside from the residential units, public facilities including lobby, community space, daycare, and laundry are on the ground floor, and smaller public spaces scattering in each story are shared by the residents as well.
Units:
The Mateo House consists of three types of units--one-bedroom units, three-bedroom units, and three-bedroom lofts. Each unit is divided by the embedded balcony into a more private part with bedrooms and a more public area with a kitchen and a living room.
Courtyard:
To balance the irregularity the units altogether bring, the building was arranged into a rather simple courtyard. The center courtyard, together with the ground floor, are five feet below grade to form a protective activity space that is exclusive for the residents, and it is separated from the public alley by a leveled garden that compensates the lack of green space in the vicinity. Apertures facing the alley still enable visual interaction between the alley and the building.
