| In a changing urban landscape such as SoDo, Seattle, existing built fabric representing the area's rich industrial history is often eliminated to make room for new development. When these remnants of the past are lost, a part of the neighborhood's sense of place and identity is lost as well. This thesis proposes that the conservation of these built remnants will not only maintain this identity, but weave together the disparate uses and industries present in SoDo. Over the past decades, the area has transformed from Seattle's manufacturing hub to the city's stadium district, resulting in a variety of production industries that remain separated from the neighboring entertainment industry. The intervention proposed by this thesis is intended to mediate this separation, joining the industries by expanding an existing network of manufacturing and exposing the public to SoDo's industrial activity, both past and present. Modern preservation is applied as an urban strategy in both site exploration and design, focusing on layers of history and context while looking towards the future as opposed to freezing the neighborhood in time. Conservation of SoDo's urban fabric preserves its unique identity and ensures that the neighborhood maintains its industrial spirit in the decades to come.;This thesis builds upon the area's industrial spirit and proposes a building reuse project, inserting an artistic textile lab into an existing warehouse in the heart of SoDo. The facility fosters a relationship between old and new in its design and its updated program of manufacturing. The introduction of the textile lab aims to not only extend the lifespan of an existing structure, as preservation does, but to put the process of making on display to the public in order to weave the presence of the entertainment industry with the production industries of SoDo. |
