"Nature and human settlements are continually pushed further into separable entities: one a controlled, safe environment, and the unruly other that is yet to be tamed."
---- Simon Y. Kim
Simon Y. Kim (Instructor)
Pingting Li & Zixin Wu (Team member)
401 Advanced Studio March 1 UCLA, Fall 2023
Inglewood Oil Field picture from Google
The Inglewood Oil Field is an active oil field situated in the Baldwin Hills area of Los Angeles, California. It is in a low-lying place, surrounded by residential area at high terrain vs oil field at lower level.
The presence of the Inglewood Oil Field has an impact on the local community. There have been ongoing discussions and efforts to balance the need for energy resources with the well-being of the surrounding neighborhoods, considering issues such as air quality, noise, and visual impact.
Our design is proposing that the PUBLIC ARCHITECTURE AND URBANISM CAN ALSO HAPPEN in spaces of industry.
For the Inglewood Oil Fields, we propose a new mythology of characters that create public spaces and collective areas.
These characters: Nezha, Water Park, AirTank, Seedsway come together to produce a new landscape in Baldwin Hills, and produce unusual tensions among the domestic, the industrial, and the recreational.
The history of Los Angeles is also a history of resource extraction.
Our public commons are: Air, Food, Electricity, Water.
We captured those public commons into different forms, which became different homunculus.
Each homunculi represents a unique method of resource extraction. We envision a future where easily accessible resources like water and air become hard to obtain. Through different architectural forms, we present different ways to access public commons. Their forms will change over time, these resources may be gradually depleted over time, regenerate, or may be endless.
We captured those public commons into different forms, which became different homunculus.
Each homunculi represents a unique method of resource extraction. We envision a future where easily accessible resources like water and air become hard to obtain. Through different architectural forms, we present different ways to access public commons. Their forms will change over time, these resources may be gradually depleted over time, regenerate, or may be endless.
AirTank
Our first homunculus named Air Tank. We captured the air on October 18th this year. The homunculus stands around 6 feet tall, and weighing approximately 50 pounds. According to eyewitness descriptions, it is made of plaster and balloons filled with different purities of air. As time pass by, the air will run out and leave void molding space.
seedsway
Our 2nd homunculus named Seedsway. The seeds and grains were captured on October 16th. The homunculus stands around 7 feet and 6 inch tall and weighing approximately 54 pounds. The seeds and grains are packed in Spandex mesh. As moisturized by water and air, the seeds will sprout, grow into plants, and bear fruit.
NEZHA
Our 3rd homunculus is called Nezha. The electricity was stored on October 18th. The homunculus is around 4 feet tall and weighing approximately 10 pounds. The jail for the electricity is made of resin, molded from lotus root. it will continually provide power for community in Baldwin hills.
WaterPark
Our 4th homunculus named Water park. The water were captured on October 22th. The homunculus is around 1 feet tall, and weighing approximately 50 pounds. The water is absorbed by water beads and sealed by resin. It will float on the oil in the ground.
For us, these ‘wild architectures’ become ‘domesticated’ or ‘rehabilitated’ in a synthetic nature that provides free and open access to the public. Like 'Victims' a project by John Hejduk's， he treated buildings as character. In expressing architecture as characters, we also treat homolulic as architecture. By combining them, we created various tensions among them.
This drawing shows how we placed these four homunculus into the site, which forms as two characters.
Inside the character located on the left-hand side, the air is filtered and purified to varying degrees, and is storage into different spaces. It is dragged by Nezha. The Nezha, function as electricity supply devices has pathway inside transporting bubble vehicles downward to the water park in the ground. And pulling seedsway located above, where there is a restaurant inside.
Inside the character located on the left-hand side, the air is filtered and purified to varying degrees, and is storage into different spaces. It is dragged by Nezha. The Nezha, function as electricity supply devices has pathway inside transporting bubble vehicles downward to the water park in the ground. And pulling seedsway located above, where there is a restaurant inside.
This axonometric drawing shows the overview of Inglewood Oil field Adventureland. From human perspective, it is a wonderland where people get free access to public resources. While in public commons’ view, it is a prison where they are restricted and be comsumed by human.
We tried to integrate the cultural elements of Los Angeles into our design，Including iconic features such as the winding and intricate highways into our circulation, airplanes, and the diverse and vibrant local culture to create a sense of being in LA.
