LAROT
FEATURED PROJECTS
Located in between S Vermont Avenue and West 37th Drive, the co-op focuses on addressing the lack of food opportunities via culinary arts and gardening. Using a terraced approach, the south facing communal gardening areas take advantage of the sunlight. The programs in the co-op include a soup kitchen, full service restaurant, and farmers' market for residents to work in exchange for rent. Overall, the Grown and Terraced Living hopes to shed light on South Central's food insecurity and flourish the local community.
What is sacredness? Sacredness is an awestruck form of adoration. The Spiritualized topic studio projects used this as the basis of design for the chapel and church. The Serene Connection acts as a mediator between the surrounding neighborhood of USC and the staff and students within. The final church is located in the Harvard Heights area and questions if the church itself can become the sacred storybook. An Ode to Harvard Heights shines light on the beauty of the neighborhood as a place, community, and individual scale.
Our proposal for Cancún’s future focuses on combating the enclave’s expansion beyond its planned and natural boundaries. The removal strategy addresses existing tensions between citizens and ecologists favoring preservation versus the tourism industry’s exploitation of the Hotel Zone. With the goal of slowing and eventually reversing the 1970 Master Plan’s short-term thinking, the removal of existing hotels and portions of the Hotel Zone will produce less pollution, a decline in deforestation, and preserve a portion of Cancún’s original natural beauty.
What makes a community center fun and playful? When looking at the previous programs of the Broadway Trade Center, most of its appeal to the public came from its family friendly rooftop play areas, candy kitchen, and library available to all. In order to make the center approachable again, the design focuses on making the programs appealing through color and shape. Families will be able to enjoy a day out for fun and relaxation surrounded by colorfully lit dome forms in contrast to the monochromatic views of Downtown.
As an address of how the seemingly never-ending lawns of the Los Angeles State Historic Park are abruptly stopped by fences around the area, the library embraces the natural aspect of the park. The library was created with a focus on botanical books and a community garden for visitors to share their cultural differences through plants and food. The centralization ultimately forms an idea of blossoming and in focusing on details of complexity, visitors can remember that outside of the busy urban environment, lays the beauty of Southern California's nature.
As an examination of Pasadena's 710 "ditch" and its income demographics, Underpass-adena was designed to facilitate a sense of community and equity for all income ranges and ages. After research of Pasadena's public gathering areas, the semi-circular arch shape was used throughout the site's form. Focused on nutritional wellness, the arch shape is manipulated, creating a colorful safe haven that is approachable and fantastical for all.
An animated and drawn analysis of an archway located in San Diego's Balboa Park. In interpreting the geometries of leading lines, the implied triangles and rectangles created a sense of enclosure. As the archway continues, there becomes a loss of said enclosure and therefore increased openness.
In exploring the relationship between enclosure and geometries, the structure redefines previous memories of flowers through a sensory garden space. Experiences within the specific circulation path transition from “normal” to considerably uncommon. The audience members are completely immersed and become more open to viewing flowers differently, similar to how the structure ultimately becomes more open as well.
melissa mae larot
university of southern california
architecture major
nonprofits, philanthropy, and volunteerism minor
extending warmth through design.
