The project operates under the banner of a Resilience School hoping to increase the social and environmental resilience of the at-risk community in Edgemere, Queens. The site, prone to flooding and near an existing landfill also lacks several crucial community amenities such as hospitals and educational facilities. The project looks to the Community Land Trust(CLT) as one potential engine for change. The operational flexibility of the CLT and its ability to identify the changing needs of the community requires an architecture that can adapt and incorporate different configurations of spaces as needed. The Butler Frame is treated as an exoskeleton for the suspension of a modular, reconfigurable architectural system that can address the needs of the community—such as clinic spaces, community kitchens, libraries, workshops, and classrooms. The building is envisioned as a modifiable system of suspended platforms enclosed by fabric walls and supported by carved wooden beams. The produced spaces are arranged around a circulation sequence from completely public and naturally ventilated progressively upwards to more private/hermetic through the project while retaining visibility across different public spaces.
