In downtown Los Angeles the square footage allotted for parked cars nearly triples that allotted for public use. Space 24 is a redesign of an existing parking lot into a public space that functions 24 hours a day. The conversion of a massive parking lot into a multifunctional space that retains its function of parking and adds site-specific programming will renew the dull landscape of urban vehicles.
Los Angeles is a city of contradictions. Though the second most populous city in the United States, the urban sprawl places it eighth in density, though the city boasts more than 140 ethnicities, many ethnic communities function entirely amongst themselves, and though the economic demographics of Los Angeles have an enormous range, rarely are spaces designed with both the very rich and the very poor in mind. The design of Space 24 is driven by the idea of co-existence: the car and pedestrian, the black and the white, and the rich with the poor.
The design consists of five programs: parking space, outdoor space, circulation space, eating space, and resting space. Instead of a surface level parking lot, the parking structure (either underground or on an elevated surface) will be a more efficient use of space. The outdoor space will be used for general outdoor seating, informal performance spaces, and informal art exhibits. The circulation zone consists of a track that will be available for runners, bikers, and walkers to exercise. The cafe will serve the residents of the neighborhood, the office workers during their lunch hours and breaks, and tourists who come to see the sites during the day and during the night will become a bar. The resting space addresses the homeless in L.A. Instead of instead of ignoring the “problem”, public pods can serve as temporary spaces for the homeless.
