Szewai Hong

Small Spaces, Loud Futures

Once known as “Rock City,” Allston, Massachusetts has historically supported a vibrant grassroots music culture through its independent record stores, venues, and creative communities. However, rising rents, institutional expansion, private development, and inflation have increasingly displaced artists and musicians, diluting the neighborhood’s cultural identity. Simultaneously, the shift toward digital music consumption has contributed to the disappearance of physical spaces where people once gathered to discover, discuss, and experience music collectively.

This thesis responds to these cultural and spatial losses through the transformation of an underutilized courtyard in Allston’s commercial district into a community-oriented space centered on listening, making, and sharing music. The project combines public gathering areas with spaces for music collections, recording, performance, and experimentation, creating a contemporary third space for local creatives and residents.

Through flexible modular structures, adaptable spatial boundaries, and durable tactile materials, the design challenges conventional separations between indoor and outdoor space, public and private use, and musicians and audiences. Ultimately, the thesis argues that small-scale, site-specific interventions can reactivate overlooked urban spaces while strengthening social and cultural connections within dense cities.

Layers of Sound and Structure

The exploded axonometric highlights how architecture can support both collective gathering and individual creative practice within a dense urban environment. The drawing separates the project into six layers. By pulling each system apart vertically, the drawing reveals the relationship between public and private programs, circulation, enclosure, and structure. The courtyard acts as a social and cultural anchor, while upper levels accommodate spaces for listening, recording, and creative production. The exposed timber frame emphasizes adaptability, lightness, and assembly, supporting the project’s interest in informal music culture and flexible occupation.