Interweave
Architecture NOMAS Competition | Rendering | Project Management
FALL 2022
Awarded Honorable Mention for ACADIA + AUTODESK + NOMA Computational Design Award
Interweave presents a transformative vision for East Oakland, blending cultural reverence with sustainable urban design to establish a resilient community hub. It’s fundamentally driven by Oakland's indispensable cultural history, where the building is more than just a node in the urban fabric; rather, the co-hub is a manifestation of the tangible and intangible networks that extend itself beyond physical presence. Positioned to invigorate the neighborhood's vibrancy while tackling socio-environmental issues, the project breathes new life into Arroyo Viejo creek, weaving a lush green tapestry throughout the cityscape. This initiative seamlessly merges living, working, and cultural realms into a dynamic, environmentally attuned structure, emphasizing restoration and rejuvenation while recognizing Oakland’s rich culture and diversity which has the power to incur real change and create more healthy and equitable futures.
In collaboration with: Andrea De Bernardini, Angela Zhang, David Park, David Law, Lukas Ewing, Rebecca Li, Tarnjeet Lalh, & Zhenyi Zhou
DESIGN STRATEGY
Our design prioritizes four key aspects: mitigating BART noise by strategically placing residential areas away from the station, buffered by commercial zones; enhancing ecological resilience through the restoration and expansion of Arroyo Viejo creek; creating a co-hub that serves as a vibrant community space and a beacon of opportunity and identity; and ensuring seamless access to transit stations to foster greater connectivity.
The ground floor features orange for retail and blue for commercial spaces, illustrating zones for shopping and business. The second level combines green for cultural areas with additional commercial functions, promoting a blend of community and commerce. The diagram differentiates further with commercial spaces in blue on the left and residential units in pink on the right, visually representing the building's multifaceted purpose of combining living, working, and cultural activities.
BUILDING PROGRAM + CIRCULATION
BUILDING DESIGN
Inside, the building boasts a vibrant mix of retail shops and a lobby that actively engages with the pedestrian scene, enhancing the public space's vitality. The second level, designed as a cultural hub, hosts maker spaces, offices, coworking areas, a black box theatre, NGO offices, and a café leading to a rooftop terrace, all organized around a horseshoe layout for seamless connectivity and views of the creek. Residential floors prioritize outdoor communal spaces like shared terraces for social interactions, offering diverse unit types for affordability and intergenerational living. Our material palette, guided by "renovation and revival" principles, maintains East Oakland's aesthetic by blending traditional and contemporary designs without barriers. We selected rammed earth for its soundproofing, thermal efficiency, and sustainability, aligning with our affordable and eco-friendly design approach.
