STUDIO ACTIVITY: Research about Community Architecture and Urban Design

 Description of the Community Architecture and Urban Design

 Community architecture
It’s about how the institutions, agencies, organizations, and citizens that make up a community's
civic framework. To understand how places are valued and to recognize expectations, hopes,
and worries, it requires real participation.

 Urban design
It involves comprehending, arranging, and forming the connections between structures,
roadways, open areas, landscape components, and natural features. Its concepts are applicable
in both urban and rural settings. In order to find new avenues and opportunities, we collaborate
with architects, engineers, economists, and other technical and creative specialists in the
interdisciplinary field of urban design. To convey observations, ideas, and thoughts and to
inspire enthusiasm for the future, we produce lucid, captivating images.

 COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE AND URBAN DESIGN:

Building design and construction is the art or practice of architecture. It includes a variety of
design disciplines, including engineering, landscape architecture, urban planning, and interior
design, and it incorporates the design of a building's outside and inner areas. Architecture is
concerned with the layout and construction of individual structures, whereas urban design
works with the overall layout and operation of a city.

Community Architecture emphasizes participatory design, where users and residents are
actively involved in shaping their environment from planning to execution. Common tools
include workshops, surveys, and public consultations Key principles include:

 Sustainability: Use of eco-friendly materials, energy-efficient systems, and green spaces

 Cultural Sensitivity: Designs that respect and reflect local traditions, identity, and history

 Accessibility: Ensuring inclusive designs, with features such as ramps, multilingual

signage, and seating for all users.

Urban design focuses on the overall layout, functioning, and physical form of cities, towns,
neighborhoods, and public spaces, addressing social, economic, and environmental issues.
Architecture, on the other hand, concentrates on the design and construction of individual
buildings, emphasizing their aesthetic and practical aspects, and their relationship to the
surroundings. Urban design is a broader field encompassing various disciplines, while
architecture primarily focuses on building design and construction.

To sum up, Architecture focuses on the design and construction of individual buildings, urban
design takes a broader approach, shaping the overall layout and functionality of urban spaces.
Community architecture further enriches this by prioritizing participatory design, ensuring that
the environment reflects the needs and values of its users through sustainable, culturally
sensitive, and accessible designs.

 Examples of existing or proposed Project that is related to

Community Architecture & Urban Design

Casa Adelante (2828 16th Street), San Francisco)

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fhomeworlddesign.com%2Fcasa-adelante-at-2828-16th-street-san-francisco
%2F&psig=AOvVaw34tX097nDklEo05OHImPLo&ust=1755328154163000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CBgQjhxqFwoTCJCNhI
yhjI8DFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE

A great example of how community architecture can maintain cultural legacy is the Casa Adelan
te 2828 16th Street housing complex in San Francisco's Mission District, which is home to many
Latin American families. It was designed by Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects (LMSA).
Casa Adelante has 143 affordable flats, a daycare center, a community space, an art gallery, and
a youth group. Residents of Casa Adelante also have the opportunity to grow their own food
because the seventh floor and roof are dedicated to urban agriculture and food production.
Casa Adelante's façade has colorful murals, and the inside is airy, light-filled, and primarily lit by
natural light. The building's ground floor features open, connecting rooms that promote family
contact and involvement. For example, it's easy to travel between rooms and gives kids a
chance to run around because the kid-friendly community area opens into the lobby and the
outdoor courtyard.

"This building serves a variety of people, including families and kids. “We wanted the
community room and the furniture to be a little more playful a little more fun and less serious,
like the color on the outside of the building,” Jang adds. "We truly wanted the interior building's
life to be as lively and dynamic as the neighborhood itself."

Blake School Early Learning Center, Hopkins, MN

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.woodworks.org%2Faward-gallery%2Fthe-blake-school-early-learning-center
%2F&psig=AOvVaw3NBzU7Dzg8-
EnNRO7NASEZ&ust=1755328180858000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CBgQjhxqFwoTCMCOhJihjI8DFQAAAAAdAAAAABAK

The Blake School is a coeducational, private, nonsectarian college preparation day school that
aims to give kids a demanding education based on shared values and community. The Blake
School's new Early Learning Center (ELC) at its Hopkins location is proof that these ideas are
reflected in the architecture of campus structures.

HGA developed the child-centered ELC with the goal of fostering learning via inquiry and
observation in a supportive setting. To ensure that all design specifications and expectations
were met, HGA collaborated with client and user groups early in the planning process to
determine the exact manner in which the institution wanted to convey its brand and philosophy.

The building uses a mostly open floor layout, with classrooms circling the common areas and
some rooms, such the cafeteria and library, overlapping with one another, to further reduce
barriers. Such seating arrangement helps young pupils develop a strong feeling of belonging,
promotes interaction, and makes the environment more welcoming.

The Others Nest | Unleashing Urban Wonder in Chengdu

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Furbandesignlab.in%2Fthe-others-nest-unleashing-urban-wonder-in-chengdu%2F
%3Fsrsltid%3DAfmBOoq5xG7UcoYorchIci9J-Urmqa7g0MS-JWnWUjEpaHHGbc-
N0_JH&psig=AOvVaw0EqszETYlpej26xIrFjKXU&ust=1755328234789000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CBgQjhxqFwoTCOju0bO
hjI8DFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE

The construction of a new urban wonder in the heart of Chengdu, the Sichuan provincial capital,
marks a significant development in public space architecture. The Other Nest 2023 is evidence
of the transformative power of imaginative architecture and urban planning. This project was
commissioned by the progressive New Hope Group after The Nest's tremendous success in
early 2021, further establishing the partnership between innovation and community
development.

REFERENCES:

What is Urban Design? | Urban Design Group. (2021b, May 19). Urban Design Group.
https://www.udg.org.uk/about/what-is-urban-design

Community architecture : Architecture and architecture - 1695 words | Bartleby. (n.d.).

https://www.bartleby.com/essay/Community-Architecture-Architecture-And-Architecture-
PKURAHW5G38X#:~:text=The%20'Community%20Architecture'%20is%20kind,architects
%20and%20user%20never%20meet.%E2%80%9D

Urban Design lab Educations Pvt. Ltd. (2022, January 11). Urban Design Projects | Urban Design
Lab. Urban Design Lab. https://urbandesignlab.in/publication/projects/urban-design-projects/?
srsltid=AfmBOopwAUeEz0J-ZS4yvFYmXR4NaqR5X2UKyRUPJmyE6gXJoEvIoxC1

Biro, A. (2025, April 15). 22 Examples of community architecture at its best. Gb&D Magazine.
https://gbdmagazine.com/examples-of-community-architecture/