Paul Rudolph
Riverview High School
Sarasota, FL, USA
The Riverview High School in Sarasota Florida cleverly cooperates with the intense sun and scorching heat with its canopied walkways connecting the different wings of the building. The walkways provide shading from the sun and allow for a natural ventilation to combat the subtropical climate. Being centered around a courtyard and connecting classrooms by covered outdoor walkways helps the building embrace the climate. The sections of the building organize the spaces in a way that make sense for the flow of the students’ movement. The lockers for instance, are located in the same section as the Gymnasium, Auditorium, and Music rooms where the students might need access to items stored in their lockers such as instruments. The sections embrace a courtyard, which not only allows for a communal area but again offers a connection to the environment that the school exists alongside. The simplicity of the layout, openness of the walkways, and solutions to the climate (without using the technology of air-conditioning) strongly influence the atmosphere of the school and how the experience of education is for the students and professors who interact with the building on a daily basis.
I see this structure and I think comfortable, which is very important when the majority of people probably do not want to be in the structure in the first place (it's high school) and the heat in FL can be miserable. The building looks rigid and very defined but it has floating elements that make it seem very light and cool (both temperature and style). The open walkways add to the airiness effect which makes me think that I am not going to be physically miserable. I think the open spaces really culminate social relationships and collaboration for the students and probably allow for students to restore their focus between classes. Nothing really screams to me that the education would be out of the ordinary here but I could see how there may be a push for environmentalism because the building really flows with the outdoors.
ReplyDeleteColor Code:
Green: Social Space
Blue: Education Space
Red: Physical Activity Space
http://imgur.com/Txdfhca