The Public Arcade

While buildings centralize a city's programmatic activities, the spaces between buildings, such as streets and alleys, are a dynamic expanse of the qualities that make up a city: the sights, the smells, the lighting... Encapsulating these qualities into the program of an 'Urban Institute,' this project activates the space between buildings through an interior arcade that connects the sidewalks on either side. This arcade lets light and air into the structure and serves as a continuation of the public sphere between two volumes on either side.