Lina Ballita

advisor

"Holy Spirit University of Kaslik | Home" https://www.usek.edu.lb/en/home

Lebanese

creation of living space in the midst of lived misery, creates hope, peace through spaces of… more

This project offers a bold response to the issue of residential standardization in Sochi, where conventional housing typologies increasingly blur the city’s unique architectural identity. In contrast, the author proposes a strong conceptual approach centered on the idea of “infinite time,” introducing a poetic reflection on contemporary living and the tension between movement and stillness.
This duality is expressed through an original spatial organization, marked by radial compositions and curved volumes. These formal choices reflect a deliberate departure from conventional layouts and demonstrate a strong artistic sensitivity. The result is an architectural language that is both expressive and distinctive.

However, the conceptual richness occasionally overshadows functional clarity. The geometric complexity of the forms raises important concerns regarding constructibility, spatial efficiency, and everyday usability. Additionally, while the time metaphor is poetically articulated, its translation into the lived experience of future residents could be more clearly defined.
On a technical level, the project would benefit from deeper integration of environmental and construction considerations such as material selection, passive design strategies, modularity, and structural logic. These are essential to ensure the project's long-term viability and ecological responsibility.

In conclusion, this is an ambitious and thought-provoking proposal that skillfully explores architecture’s symbolic and urban role. To fully realize its potential, it must strike a more balanced dialogue between conceptual expression, functional performance, and construction feasibility.

The concept of “infinite time” is evocative, but its spatial translation could be made more tangible for users. Clarifying how this idea influences light, circulation, or spatial sequences would help bridge the gap between narrative and lived experience. The project would benefit from a stronger emphasis on functional clarity. Revisiting the layout of the units and circulation areas could improve spatial efficiency while preserving the conceptual richness of the design. In terms of constructibility, the formal complexity may pose challenges. Simplifying certain volumes or articulating the structural strategy more clearly would enhance the feasibility of the project in a real-world context. Sustainability strategies could be more explicitly integrated. Passive design considerations such as orientation, natural ventilation, and thermal mass should be addressed, along with a clear rationale for material choices that support durability and ecological responsibility.

The relationship between the project and its urban environment could be strengthened. A deeper engagement with site-specific factors such as sun exposure, views, access, and scale would help anchor the project more firmly within its context in Sochi. At the level of architectural detail, further development is encouraged. Ensuring that the conceptual duality between energy and stillness is also expressed through the building’s materiality, thresholds, and transitions would enhance the coherence of the proposal. Finally, the project would be enriched by references to relevant built precedents. Positioning the design within a broader architectural discourse would lend it greater depth and situate its innovation within a lineage of thoughtful experimentation.