GROUND + LANDSCAPE DISTINCT VOLUMES / PUBLIC PLAZA FLOATING GALLERIES MATERIAL CONNECTION
Conducting research in co-working/co-living spaces globally in a post-pandemic world, the research studio through UCLA’s international think tank xLAB led us to an examining of Los Angeles and Tokyo and the dissection of community living, flexible workspaces, and a deep dive into how these spaces fiscally operate. The year-long project began with research in existing co-working/co-living spaces and a presentation in Tokyo to leading design experts and entrepreneurs. Our lens of research was specifically analyzing co-working spaces for artists/creatives and the nuances of spaces dedicated to artistry production.
The research phase led to the development of a business proposal, working together with professors from the UCLA Anderson Graduate School of Management to create a feasible plan for the financial elements of the co-working space. Our proposal consisted of the development of a comprehensive subscription service, title COArting, for users to have the ability to use any affiliate spaces by scheduling studio time, driving traffic to these small business and eliminating the barriers many rising artists face with access to a range of production spaces and equipment.
The COArting headquarters serve as an operational facility for the app as well as an educational facility for artists using the subscription service. Although the service provides open access to many spaces throughout LA, beginning artists may still need guidance. This campus is organized in three distinct volumes: an operations/management facility, a educational facility with a public lecture hall, and a hands-on artistry production facility with state-of-the-art equipment for rising artists to have the opportunity to familiarize themselves with.
The entire campus is connected with gallery spaces scattered throughout multiple levels, encased in a jagged metal mesh canopy forming a material connection across the headquarters hub. The landscape is designed to allow for open art fairs on the major Wilshire Boulevard thoroughfare, creating an artistic channel across Los Angeles, with the newly constructed rail line connecting UCLA/Hammer Museum, LACMA, the Academy Museum, the Broad, the Walt Disney Concert Hall to this Koreatown campus and beyond.