— Pullman Commons

Spring 2021, Harvard GSD, Instructors: Jeanne Gang & Claire Cahan
With Remi McClain (MArch II ‘22)

“Pullman Commons” considers twinning as a bridging device between the inherited object as anomaly and the contextual historical codes as normal. This concept is used as a way to mediate between this proposal and the existing gathering space from the 1960’s, a building that does not align with the historic and regulated fabric of Pullman. Research of the Chicago Common Brick and its labor narrative informs how materiality is expressed in the Pullman Commons. Upon the given program this proposal adds three
additional program types: Observation, Commerce, and Outdoor Gathering. The observation tower emphasizes site-seeing through the lens of the National Park designation. Starter-shop commerce is wrapped around the gathering space for a direct connection to the building at large and the streetscape beyond.

Pullman Residential Facades Regional Brick Types Demolition and Proposed Salvage Index of Entrances





Re-use: Existing to Proposed


Physical Model of East Entry


East Entry View from South Entry North Entry Observation Tower Views


Site Axonometric


West—East Sections


Ground Floor Plan—Summer Ground Floor Plan—Spring and Fall Ground Floor Plan—Winter


Second Floor Plan


Section—Summer Section—Spring and Fall Section—Winter