My thesis looked at the possibilities of the generic suburban landscape and blank walls of its architecture. Using Chatsworth, CA (a suburb of Los Angeles in the San Fernando Valley) as a case study I looked at how the seemingly incompatible groups including the adult entertainment industry, horse afficionados, megachurch users, and shoppers could all inhabit the same spaces with little conflict.
It became clear to me that the blandness of the architecture makes this juxtaposition possible. Because the buildings are blank boxes, nearly anything can go on inside. The design portion of my thesis looked at how density could be increased in Chatsworth by taking advantage of shared needs between user groups while working with the vernacular building types of the San Fernando Valley.
