Joshua Ramlakhan

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DESIGN IV PROJECT

OBJECTIVE:

- The objective of Project 1 will be to add short term corporate worker housing to the given site. Specifically, the scope of work for this project is to provide incubator housing to individuals entering the workforce, who cannot afford to rent locally. Proposed worker's housing is to accommodate 2% of Swiss Air's workforce (based on occupancy)

PROJECT: SwissAir HQ Addition

Side Elevation of Existing Building

Rear Elevation of Existing Building

Front Elevation of Existing Building

ZONING ANALYSIS

Address : 41 Pinelawn Road, Melville, NY 11747

Tax map # 0400-255.00-01.00-017.000

Lot size : 5 Acres

Land use : Commercial C-2 Office Building District

Overview: The C-2 District is designed for moderate-intensity office and research uses, typically serving as a buffer between industrial or high-intensity areas and residential neighborhoods.

Allowed Uses: Office buildings. Research and testing institutions for electronic, electrical, and mechanical devices (as long as there's no noticeable noise, vibration, odor, or dust outside).Accessory uses like cafeterias, daycares, auditoriums, storage (inside only), signs, and parking. Limited product sales are allowed if incidental to the main use.

Not Allowed: Outdoor storage or sales of products or materials.

Parking & Loading Rules:

Parking must be set back from property lines (20 ft from front, 15 ft from street sides, 10 ft from interior lines, 20 ft from residential areas).

Landscaping is required around parking areas.

Overnight fleet parking must be shown on the site plan and not placed in front or street-side yards. Loading areas must be at the side or rear, away from residential zones and streets.

Additional Notes:

Building plans must be reviewed and approved by the Planning Board before permits are issued.

Exterior security gates are not allowed on storefronts in the Huntington Village Business Improvement District. Any existing gates must be removed if ownership or tenancy changes.

Interior security gates and gates for garage or loading areas are allowed.

Appeals for prohibited gates can be made in cases of serious financial or security hardship.

The Site

BACKGROUND RESEARCH

Workers Housing

Barrow Island Model Village, England (1890s)

Developer: Barrow Shipbuilding Company
Visionary/ Planner: Sir James Ramsden
The Barrow Island Model Village in England was built in the 1890s to provide housing for workers of the Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering company. The village was designed to offer a high standard of living for the workers and their families, with well-planned streets, green spaces, and community facilities. This initiative aimed to improve the quality of life for the workers, promote social welfare, and create a sense of community among the residents.
Architectural Characteristics:
- Victorian Architecture: Characterized by its ornate detailing, steeply pitched roofs, and vibrant colors, Victorian architecture was prevalent during the late 19th century and influenced the design of the village
About:
- Streets were laid out in a rational grid pattern, reflecting Victorian planning ideals of order and hygiene. This also facilitated easy access to the shipyards and industrial zones.
- This style emphasized well-planned streets, green spaces, and community facilities to promote social welfare and create a sense of community among the residents

Gunkanjima (Hashima Island), Japan (1890s- 1974)

Developer: Mitsubishi
Significance:
- Japan's first reinforced concrete high rise
- Every structure served a utilitarian purpose—housing, mining, or infrastructure—with minimal ornamentation.
- Self- Contained Infrastructure, the island had schools, hospitals, shops, and even rooftop playgrounds which is an early example of vertical urbanism.
ABOUT:
- Coal Discovery: First found in 1810, with full-scale mining starting in the late 1800s
- Mitsubishi Ownership: The company bought the island and rapidly developed it into a mining colony
- Population Peak: Over 5,000 residents lived there in the 1950s–60s, making it the most densely populated place on Earth at the time
- The island was a self-contained city: it had schools, shops, a hospital, and even a movie theater
- Half the island was devoted to mining operations, the other half to residential life
- High-rise concrete buildings were built to withstand typhoons and earthquakes—Japan’s first of their kind

APPLYING ROWE'S THEORY TO HISTORICAL WORKERS HOUSING

Gunkanjima island (Hashima), Japan:

PROBLEM FRAMING

Engineers faced extreme constraints: limited land, typhoon exposure, seismic risk, and industrial demand.
It wasn't shaped by ego or aesthetics, but by adaptive problem- solving.

HYPOTHESIS FORMATION

Solutions emerged like reinforced concrete buildings, vertical housing, and rooftop spaces—early experiments in compact urbanism.

CONTEXTUALISM

The island’s design responded directly to its harsh marine environment and industrial purpose. No decorative excess—just raw functionality.

USE OF PRECEDENT

Designers adapted techniques from mainland Japan and early modernist principles, especially in earthquake-resistant construction.

Barrow Island Model Village, England:

PROBLEM SOLVING : Industrial demand, limited land, and a need for rapid housing solutions.

Rowe would interpret this as a tightly framed problem with clear functional and contextual boundaries.

HYPOTHESIS FORMATION Tenement blocks, dock infrastructure, and proximity-based planning to reduce commute and maximize productivity.

These hypotheses reflect Rowe’s idea of “design propositions” formed from precedent and logic.

CONTEXTUALISM: Design responded to the harsh coastal climate, industrial logistics, and social needs of a working-class population.

This aligns with Rowe’s view that design is shaped by cultural, environmental, and historical cues.

ITERATION: The island evolved through successive waves of development, adapting to changing technologies and labor demands.

Rowe’s theory allows for historical evolution as a form of design feedback—even across decades.

41 Pinelawn Road - Existing Conditions

EXISTING PLANS ANALYSIS

FIRST FLOOR PLAN

EXISTING REAR PLAN

EXISTING RIGHT SIDE ELEVATION

EXISTING FRONT ELEVATION

EXISTING LEFT SIDE ELEVATION

SUN DIRECTION SUN PATH

SPRING

FALL

SUMMER

WINTER

Contextual Diagrams

RENDERINGS

Housing Addition

Corporate housing must be more than simply economical shelter. It must provide meaningand community for its residents. If reduced only to efficiency and cost, such housing risksalienating workers and signaling that their contributions are undervalued. The architecturalchallenge is then to develop designs that balance contextual fit with meaning and dignity,fostering both individual well-being and collective identity

1. Anthropometric Analogies – using the human body and its movement through space as a guide.

2. Literal Analogies – borrowing existing forms, either:o Iconic: symbolic or natural references (e.g., Sydney Opera House’s shell-likeroof).o Canonic: abstract proportional systems (e.g., grids, platonic solids).

3. Environmental Relations – designing in response to climate, materials, behavior, andcontext.

4. Typologies – adapting and reinterpreting architectural precedents and organizationalmodels.

5. Formal “Languages” – employing rule-based systems, whether classical, patterned, orpersonally developed (modern, post-modern, deconstruction, Meier’s style, etc.).