Immigrant Entrepreneurial Development Center
Abstract
Can architecture redefine the American Dream by assisting immigrants to establish themselves in a community? This question stemmed from various ideas pertaining to architectural movements and their impacts on the built environment and way of life. I focused my attention to my hometown of St. Cloud, Minnesota, where immigrants seek the American Dream.
The typology is a mixed-use facility including thirty- four residential units, classrooms, commercial/retail areas, a food court, various community/public areas, vertical gardens, a market, and small business/entrepreneurial development spaces. My site is parking lot approximately 300 feet by 350 feet located in the heart of downtown St. Cloud. The building is just over 105,000 square feet. This center will aim to improve the quality of life for immigrants living in St. Cloud, as well as lessen the environmental impacts using sustainable strategies within the structure and throughout the site. Learning from our mistakes from the old vision of the 1940’s American Dream, we look to find a better strategy for thinking, designing, and constructing buildings within cities.
Key Words:
Mixed-use, economic crisis, immigration, culture, American Dream, community development, small businesses, entrepreneurial development, architectural movements, built environment, sustainable strategies, constructing buildings.