U3 STUDIO
ARCH 432 - FALL 2024

Post-Office
STUDENT

Shelby Stress


PROFESSOR

Francesca Mavaracchio


With a postal system in the process of decay, attempts to revitalize an outdated system feel futile and costly. “Post-Office” pictures USPS as an institution to be guided to the grave rather than salvaged, in hopes of practicing building for the future and natural reclamation instead of current demands. Developed using the maximum parcel size as a metric, “Post-Office” is a fast-paced postal stop within a forest of gridded trees, containing only programs of USPS’s strengths. Aligning with the canopy of the trees, the pavilions scattered on the site each allow for independent and flexible programs, creating one continuous canopy composed of both nature and architecture.