sojourn, v.i. to dwell for a time; to dwell or live in a place as a stranger, not considering the
place as a permanent habitation; as Abraham sojourned in Egypt.

sojourn, n. a temporary residence or visit, as that of a traveler in a foreign land; It.soggiornare.

sojourner, n. a temporary resident, a stranger or traveler who dwells in or visits a place for
a time.

For the constant high number of visitors that the Boston area famously attracts - be they scholars, researchers, technicians, entrepreneurs, students and young global nomads - some who stay for weeks and more but not permanently, there are very few options for residency other than the high-cost hotels on one hand, and ill-accommodating lodgings at the other. Even for those fortunate enough to be referred to guest-homes in the surrounding suburbs, personal mobility is limiting and often socially isolated.

In order to provide a reasonable form of lodging, one that combines a "bed for the night" along with a sense of being in that city, of even temporarily feeling like belonging to that community of people and activities, this studio intends to explore the idea of - a place of City Sojourn - and to design such a building at a transit crossing. Imagine being the sojourner, a stranger to the anonymous city, but enjoying the sights of the community's many faces, movements and goings-on, preferably at an affordable temporary residence, convenient, gregarious and memorable.

Site: originally known as Lechmere Point, in East Cambridge, at the historic juncture of the Charles River Dam from Boston, the First & Cambridge Streets extending into the heart of Cambridge, and O'Brien Highway to Somerville. The project site includes the present Lechmere "T" station - the billboard there states: "Do the Ride Thing" - a terminus of the Green Line, and a transfer stop for MBTA buses.

The studio begins with information-gathering in teams and brief conceptual design explorations of the following:

A. "Simply Space" : dwelling spaces with bare minimums (ie: not minimum space)
B. "Passing By/Hangin' Out": access, intersections, movement spaces
C. "A Bit of Breeze" : low-cost indoor climate features
These aspects will, in particular tectonic terms, inform the architecture of the studio's project - a place of City Sojourn - as well as incorporate an understanding of the transit site and a given residential/mixed-use program.

Referential readings, precedent analysis, and Pin-Up presentations will augment our initial explorations and site analysis. The use of study models will predominate throughout the term. Guests to the studio may include those from the MBTA and the Cambridge Community Development Office.