Sunset Boulevard Case Studies

A collaboration of architecture students from UCLA and transportation design students from ArtCenter College of Design explores the potential changes in vehicle design and infrastructure as we transition to autonomous vehicles (AVs). By uniting transportation and urban design in a case study of Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, the programs challenged students to consider how these two design disciplines could work together to create sustainable solutions for the future of transportation.

The Artists' Incubator
2018
University of California, Los Angeles (Los Angeles, California, USA, founded 1919): Jiahe Chen, Miao He, and ArtCenter College of Design (Pasadena, California, USA, founded 1930): Gautham Varma

The Artists’ Incubator proposes using the advertising funds generated by Sunset Boulevard’s iconic billboards to provide young artists with studio spaces. Housed in round buildings with a webbed frame, the studios would also provide surfaces for advertisements to drivers on an elevated motorway. Separate spaces for cars, pedestrians, and transit would allow people to switch between these transportation modes easily.

Model
Museum board, 3D-printed plastic

Exploded Axonometric Drawing
Digital print

Animation Video
1:00 minute

The Urban Diorama
2018
University of California, Los Angeles (Los Angeles, California, USA, founded 1919): Sweta Elizabeth Joseph, Nikita Kumar, and ArtCenter College of Design (Pasadena, California, USA, founded 1930): Anshul Malhan

The Urban Diorama imagines a future where the smart technology of self-driving cars allows people and vehicles to share the street in harmony, moving simultaneously through an open space. Imagery of the city’s billboards and architecture punctuates this shared landscape.

Model
Medium density fiberboard, foam board, mat board, acrylic, resin, photoluminescent pigments, 3D-printed plastic, UV LED strip

Perspective View
Digital print

Animation Video
1:13 minutes

This object was previously on display as a part of the exhibition The Road Ahead: Reimagining Mobility.