LIFE SPIRAL

The competition site is expected to result in a multifunctional vibrant post-industrial district.
The planning principles are based on the use of the original modular grid of industrial development and the restoration of the disturbed ecosystem of the water-green frame.

The territory is to become spatially integrated into the urban fabric, become permeable and multifunctional. The revitalization regards the principles of sustainability and provides for Houston’s adaptation to changes in the climate – the one prone to prolonged droughts and heavy rainfalls.

In the future, after connecting the adjacent green areas, the CCIP will get integrated with a landscaped water-green corridor along the Buffalo Bayou riverfront. We assume that a smaller tributary of the river, a section of which is hidden by an industrial site, will become the main compositional axis of the quarter. However, the restored form of its riverbed will have not a natural winding, but a geometric shape as a reference to the industrial past.

The site itself will function not only as a comfortable mixed-use area but also as a regulator of the city’s water resources, implementing a water-sensitive urban design approach. The laying of drainage channels to the central riverbed and the expansion of water-permeable soil cover within the new green zones will reduce the negative impact of heavy rainfall on the urban environment.

The modular orthogonal grid of the industrial zone will act as the basis for the territorial planning structure of the area and will unblock connections with neighboring streets. The proposed grid of streets provides permeability and increases transport accessibility, fixes the visual and transit axes of the area. We have supplemented the street and road network with end-to-end pedestrian connections, which will improve the passability of the site and its connectivity with the surrounding areas

The priority to move around the area goes to pedestrians and drivers of alternative modes of transport (e-scooters, personal and cargo bicycles, scooters, etc.) It reduces the environmental burden, which is especially important for a city with such a high degree of motorization as in Houston. Microtransport is to be used as a last mile transport — from the transport hub to the final destination. Spacious multi-vehicle parking lots and micro-vehicle sharing centers anchor transportation infrastructure and promote new forms of sustainable mobility in Houston.

We delicately use and adapt the industrial constructions to the new functional program of the area. New architectural volumes infuse without disturbing the scale and modular grid of the industrial development.

The concept of the project includes the use of experimental functional typologies with hybrid functions — industry and agriculture with housing, education with medicine, etc. The social inclusiveness of the district will be ensured by a variety of housing typologies: dormitories, blocked houses for large and single-parent families, comfortable mid-rise complexes, etc.

We expect to attain positive synergy by combining kindergartens with supportive residential zones for the elderly and satisfy the need for communication of the social groups which are always hungry for attention.

The residential facilities and multistory urban farms will be integrated into residential areas. The approach will support local businesses and underly the implementation of 15-minute city and circular economy concepts.
Up to 40% of urban farms’ operation consumption will be satisfied by renewable resources (rainwater, fertilizers from organic waste of the city, etc.).

The territory will be saturated with social, educational, entertainment, and sports facilities, experimental creative laboratories. The industrial intensification principle provides for the inclusion of modern, environmentally friendly and small-scale production in multifunctional zones. The proposed functional program reveals the potential of the territory and draws the attention of the city to the newly discovered area.

The contact places between the post-industrial area and cemeteries are to become new public zones – the symbolic buffer between spaces designed to experience different emotions. The junction of the post-industrial territory and burial sites is marked by red memory walls that flank the CCIP on both sides and form a recognizable outline of the quarter.

We continue the memorial theme in all the historical layers: pre-industrial period, time of industrial development, post-industrial stage.

1. Industrial buildings with a recognizable roof contour house the market. Partial removal of the roof will open natural light access and will form a system of illuminated courtyards.
Naked metal structures fit the market square and get transformed into a semi-open event space. A freestanding building near the streetcar depot is home to a sports complex.
The straight line of the general cut of the buildings forms a memory wall along the cemetery.

2. The long industrial workshop, which is adjacent to the streetcar depot, is divided by through pedestrian paths into two buildings and augmented by vertical dominants. This makes the outline of the area more sophisticated and establishes a connection with downtown Houston. The building near the transportation hub is occupied by a business cluster. The second building belongs to the memorial area and is used as a columbarium.

3. Adaptation of industrial buildings for housing includes partial dismantling of structures. It allows to form a more extended light front and expand the typology of facilities (one- or two-level spaces, with and without terraces) and create semi-private zones, make the street view perspective more interesting due to the sinking of the facade plane and organize closed courtyards space.
The project involves the creation of premises of different typology and hybrid purpose on the basis of the residential function (housing + industry / nursing home / agriculture, etc.). There will also be mid-rise residential buildings with vertical farms.