Wei-Che Chiang
Architectural Designer
Timber Living
INFO:
The Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA), TIMBER IN THE CITY 3: Urban Habitats Competition
Site Location: New York City
Year: 2019
Team of 4 group project
Award: 3rd place over 900 applicants (LINK)
This project welcomes the community to the site with a central pedestrian parkway that facilitates socially-focused civic spaces and organizes the new buildings.
Before and during the construction process, the spine element assists in transporting timber products from river barges to the site’s foundations. Next to the spine, a crane is positioned to help erect the building components. Additionally, a series of specially designed timber columns are installed to support overhead timber trellis structures. These trellises create vibrant spaces, including pop-up shops, produce stands, fixtures for urban farming, and frameworks that define open plazas or gardens.
The columns include slots and brackets where a kit of interlocking accessories may be attached, and these kits come together to create the different trellis typologies.
Arranged as a spine, a heavy timber trellis system along the parkway connects three buildings which demonstrate the creative potentials of timber
Further, an array of specially designed timber columns is erected to support several overhead timber trellis structures which cover and create a series of vibrant spaces, such as pop-up shops, produce stands, fixtures for urban farming and frameworks to define open plazas or gardens.
An early childhood education center built with traditional post and beam timber construction as an extension of the post and beam trellis system along the pedestrian way.
A community wellness center featuring curved glulam beams overhead, gesturing to views across the river and reflecting the waves of the pools within.
A variety of spaces extends into a long park that provides access to the river and promotes wellness and health through a continuous interaction between the cityscape and nature along the journey. This biophilic environment is accessible to everyone, allowing both residents and community members to enjoy Timber Living.
A residential tower crafted from cross-laminated timber (CLT) walls and floors, featuring a vertical tension cable fastening system that secures the residential units in a tall stack exceeding the height of current CLT towers under construction.
