Site
Analysis
Probe
Mitchell Square "...at it's core urban design is the
architecture of connection..."
Mitchell Square is located at the intersection of 168th and
Broadway in the district of Washington Heights within the
island of Manhattan. The site is dominated by the presence
of the Columbia Presbyterian Hospital. The presence of the
hospital effectively controls the activities within the
square as it slowly begins to physically and politically
overwhelms the site.
The following proposal attempt to re-establish the community
within the square. However, it is important to note that the
intention of the project was not to deny or destroy the
hospital. On the contrary, the intention was to better
associate the hospital with the site and the community. The
hope is that connections can be instituted which allow
public and private space to function effectively in
unison.
The important components of the site which remain
unconnected are the school, the subway, the hospital the
commercial district, public space and parking for the
automobile.
The site was divided into a grid which later was removed.
Due to the density of the square and the desire to maintain
the fabric of the city while moving vertically to connect to
the subway-lines, the logically location for the
intervention was to go underground. This act of digging and
cutting away had advantages in that it created
three-dimensional space rather remaining on horizontal and
planar space. The space underground becomes virtual in that
there are little references to the real world. The horizon
falls away and the opportunity to create other references
which direct and imply destination becomes evident and
essential.
The project in the end is a multi-functional connector. It
operates at many levels both physically and politically in
the hopes of bridging the gap between the institution of the
hospital and the community.