Designed to participate in the ACSA Steel Competition, Digital Domain is a design for a homeless shelter based in Los Angeles’ Skid Row District. With hundreds of homeless filling the streets of skid row on a daily bases, the project attempts to elevate the commu- nity by creating a homeless assistance center that is not based in the analog ways of training, that often ending up as dead end jobs for the participants, but provide training in the fields of technology.
Utilizing the proximity between Downtown Los Angeles and the technology-driven districts that sur- round it, Digital Domain offers an entry into the world of technology by providing shelter beds to homeless individuals who dismantle outdated computers do- nated by the public. Once entered into the program the participants are then trained for jobs installing soft- ware, configuring hardware, and setting up information networks. These jobs are among the fastest growing in the nation, and provide excellent opportunities to gain stability and re-enter society.
Designed to elevate the participants both figu- ratively and literally the project cantilevers over 150 feet over an existing parking lot allowing the building footprint to function as a normal parking lot during the day and introducing the possibility for a digital flea markets on the weekends. Using a seesaw principle as a form of structure the project creates unparallel views to immediately nearby Downtown LA while maintaining an identity with the Skid Row community.