Project Description

In response to adjacent developments and the need for improved environmental systems, the proposed School of Architecture reasserts itself at the heart of the Campus. The suggested proposal is a large span truss system that hovers over the existing building and partially over the University Center, creating a new indoor public walkway, providing a new entrance to both buildings.  This space will host a café and offer opportunities for students to display their work. Large operable doors can be opened during the summer months extending the space into the new Campus Entry Quad. 

The existing structure has elements that make it highly effective as a pedagogical tool that encourages curiosity and innovation. The proposed “over-build” embodies similar aspirations, but this time in steel construction.  The new upper floors centre around a shared atrium-like space that weaves between studios and workshops that have been pushed to the edges of the plan. Narrow corridors and isolated stairwells have been avoided entirely, with spaces arranged around the 4 main trusses that allow for highly flexible, open-plan interiors.  A secondary infrastructure of tracks and other minor partition walls offer the inhabitants the opportunity to create the spaces they desire within the provided framework. 

The interstitial space between the new envelope and the existing building acts as an important gateway to invite students across campus to engage in the activities at the school and encourages interdisciplinary exchange.