A4 — oji.com

Ground Scraper

Site: Imperial City, San Diego, CA

ARC208 Design Studio

Spring 2023

Instructor: Cait McCarthy

Led to analyze, represent, and materialize a natural landscape, this project focused on integrating architectural design with the natural contours and ecological features of the site. Each student was tasked with studying a specific landform manipulator to develop a spatial response that accommodates a unique program. For this project, contour farms in southeast Washington served as a model, inspiring ground manipulation strategies that merged functionality with environmental sensitivity. The site of Imperial City, renowned as one of the most biodiverse regions in the United States, became the foundation for conceptualizing a culinary institute and research laboratory. The program was envisioned as a series of stepped and embedded spaces that blend growing, research, and culinary functions with the site’s natural features.

The design prioritizes the interaction between architecture and landscape by carving into the terrain to create terraced farming areas and open courtyards, which serve as gathering spaces and sites for cultivation. Water retention ponds, strategically located to support sustainable irrigation, are interwoven with the circulation paths that follow the undulating topography of the land. This system of pathways not only connects various programmatic zones but also reinforces the project’s commitment to harmonizing with the natural flow and rhythm of the landscape.

Through this design, the culinary institute becomes an extension of the land itself, promoting sustainable practices and fostering a deeper connection between its users and the environment. The project’s embedded structures and adaptive land-use strategies ensure minimal disruption while creating a functional and dynamic space for education, research, and culinary innovation.

1_Abstract Site Analysis

4_Plan Oblique

5_Ground Floor Plan

2_Serial Section

6_Rendered Perspective

7_Rendered Perspective

3_Study Model

8_Rendered Perspective

9_Conceptual Sketch