RE-LINK
Washington University in St. Louis
Abroad Studio in Argentina
8/2018-12/2018
So-called La Villa 31, is a large villa miseria in Buenos Aires, that next to the Retiro railway station. It dates from the 1930s and in 2017, it has around 40,000 inhabitants. This Project is a community gymnasium proposed for La Villa 31. It contains a sports field that would be used for indoor soccer games or basketball games. One of its primary goals is to create a place where activities that may link people inside and outside of the shantytown can happen. So, like Piazza San Marco, it is a transition space that could become the shanty town's "living room". It links the city's two parts like a knot. Considering the budget and the context, cheap local materials are applied
SEGREGATION
Next to the Retiro railway station, La Villa 31 is a large villa miseria in Buenos Aires. The different urban fabrics segregate people, not only physically but also socially. The project needs to act as a community activity center to relink different social groups. It might be a place which can bring people together because of some common interests.
Strategy： Living Room of La Villa 31
The Gymniusm and existing buildings create an "enclosed" space that could be considered as a "living room" for residents living in La Villa 31. Just like Piazza San Marco in Venice, it offers residents a space for public activities to welcome outsiders.
Site Location and context
Site Plan
Construction Process
STRUCTURE INSPIRATION
The idea of this structure came from the self-supporting bridge which was depicted in a traditional Chinese drawing. The main goal is to cut the budget and make the building cheap yet super stable. The locally manufactured corrugated decks are applied onto it, which lowers the budget more.
Self-supporting bridge From Along the River During the Qingming Festival
Study model: Self-supporting structure.