In collaboration with Jacklin Lee, Andrew Lytle, Saba Salekfard

Instructor: Sarah Lorenzen

The interdisciplinary studio combines Architecture and Landscape Architecture departments into groups to design an urban scale project that include retail, office, and hotel programs for the community of West Hollywood. The site is located adjacent to West Hollywood Park between Robertson Ln. and La Peer Dr. intersect by Santa Monica Blvd.

The “Spectacle of the Nakedness” design proposal serves to explore West Hollywood’s key characteristic: the desire to see and be seen. The project aims to create a layered performance space: a place of spectacle and “frisson”. The design of this project allows hotel guests, office workers, and shoppers to be captivated by the bodies of bathers.

The bathhouse is central to the history of West Hollywood. Unfortunately these bathhouses have been replaced by high-end retail and luxury apartments. This is a real loss to the culture of West Hollywood. This project is an opportunity to bring the bathhouse back. To do so we studied Roman therms, Turkish baths, and Ottoman hammans for inspiration.

The City of West Hollywood has its own unique cultural attitude towards the body and to self-expression. The buff, male body is an object of desire one that is often on display. Health retailers, vitamin shops, gyms, and spas are common and part of the populations’ interest in maintaining a fit and healthy body.

The landscapes behave differently from the surrounding geometries of the architecture and serve to interrupt and filter views. These interruptions are needed in order to both reveal and hide portions of the project. This project will place the human body at the center both figuratively and literally. Our project will give people an opportunity to admire the body of others or to be admired themselves.