Organic Meets Built Section Cut

For our first Charette my group chose to use a piece of the ramp up to the Hatcher Graduate Library (the ramp to the right of the building). The ramp has a metal handrail that rests on a cement lip next to a short cement wall. There is a metal gate/fence that rests upon the cement wall. On the opposite side of the cement wall the space opens up to plant bed with greenery ornamenting the frontal side of the building. This section can tell us that there is a certain path to the entrance point of the building and that the designer wanted its patrons to be out of view or focus to bystanders, thus the cement wall, gate and plant bed yearning for attention.

In our section cut the ramp and side of the building that extends is missing, so the cut could be taken out of context easily due to it being only six feet wide. The section cut does however show the viewer that the side of the ramp has many verticals of varying height and the tallest point is sort of in the middle. If this cut were to take place you would be able to see the inside of the materials in the cut (the rail, fence, cement wall, and the plant).

If this were a plan you would not be able to tell height but you would have a few perpendicular lines outlining the cement wall and hand rail. If this were a plan it would make more sense to include the whole ramp so the viewer could get an idea of function and space of the area. This exercise would have been different then in the sense that we would have taped the outlines of everything that is taking up physical space and took a picture from above.

The Sharp Centre for Design assignment #3

The Sharp Centre for Design

Ontario College for Art and Design University

The Sharp Centre for Design was built to house the Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD) University in 2004. It was an expansion to the original building, which now is located right beneath the newest expansion. The two buildings are connected through a large central staircase, which also serves as a divider of the school between classrooms and lecture halls and studios for students. By having the meeting and recreational areas as a central location (and as a park on top of the roof of the main building), it creates an easily located meeting area for student encounters and for relaxing and/or recreation. The ominous "floating" monolith that is the Sharp Centre is made to look less intimidating by it's charming speckled exterior and colorful support beams, yet it still ominously looms over the old building.

While I was able to find a floor plan, it was less practical to attempt to make a color-code for it. The whole OCAD University campus makes more sense and is easier to understand through analyzing the layout by the vertical section of the building. The stairs separate the school into two halves, one for classrooms and one for studios. Having this unified division will aid students by creating a universal layout so they don't get turned around after climbing the stairs to the upper section. The layout also reflects the curriculum. The separation brings an emphasis on the differences between studio and personal work, social interaction, and class work. Though there is the division, they are still connected by the interaction of their colleagues, leaving socializing outside of the classroom.

Kindergarten!!

Academic Spaces (Maroon), Play Spaces (Teal), Administrative Spaces (Pink)

The academic spaces are at the heart of the school and are close together so that there is a truly academic feel to that section of the school. Surrounding them are the play spaces, which allow students to enjoy themselves. These spaces are distinct areas for children to run around and learn through play instead of an "Academic" setting. The administrative spaces seem to be towards the road and are on the left hand side of the school, separating the learning and playing from the running of the school.

The buildings at the kindergarten are very homey, which is intended to reduce the stress that younger students may feel while they are out of their homes and separated from their primary caregiver for the first time. This is achieved through the use of locally available materials that mimic the ones used in the homes of Auroville. The building is actually a set of buildings, and therefore lacks a specific façade. In my view, this makes the school less intimidating, because it does not form a prison like continuous wall that many schools do.

The open flow floor plan for the school encourages interaction, but also allows separation, depending upon the individual needs of the students and teachers. The spreading of the independent structures gives the school a welcoming and calm feel, with plenty of open space to prevent crowding. The large classroom spaces give children the freedom to make the most of their playing activities, allowing each to have enough space to direct the movie in his or her head.

The curriculum at the school appears to be very play focused, perhaps more so than the average kindergarten, according to the annual report on the Auroville website. The spread out nature of the kindergarten, along with the variety of room types, promotes a non-focused experiential based style of learning.

Saunalahti Comprehensive School Part 2

The Finnish curriculum provides students with opportunities for individual choices by allowing many creative classes to be offered.  This is shown through the many art and creative classes indicated in pink on the floor plans.   

The children learn primarily through playing at a young age as well as how to observe and analyze the environment.  Physical Activity is very common in Finnish school and occurs very frequently.  This allows them to enjoy the beauty and diversity of the environment.  This is displayed in the architecture by the façade of glass that allows students to study while being enriched in the environment.  With the preschool and daycare located on the ground level, they can easily be immersed in the environment and physical activity. 

In the upper levels of the school is where the lower and upper level grades study.  In Finnish schools, it is common for children to learn in a variety to situations, which is also shown in the floor plan.  The library allows for the very individual and secluded study area while classrooms allow for a more collaborated way to study. The main foyer space, which is enriched in the façade of all glass, enables the students to take advantage of the nature while being contained.  This creates a sense of domain by allowing them to explore but keeping them in a secluded area.      

 The use of wood and concrete create an interesting contrast to allow nature to be brought into the space but allowing there not to be to many distracting factors when in the learning environment.  The use of very natural materials goes back to how the Finnish curriculum emphasizes the impacts of nature on their students.  The ground level is very colorful because the preschool is housed here and there needs to be an inviting atmosphere for the students.  

First Floor

2nd Floor

Ground Floor

Key: 

Blue: group study areas/social areas 

Pink: Creative and active spaces 

Green: Classrooms/homerooms

Weekly Response #3: Knowlton Hall

Weekly Response #3: Knowlton Hall
Matt Williams
Architect: Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects
School: Knowlton Hall
Client: Knowlton School of Architecture-OSU
Location: The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
Year: 2004

At Missy's suggestion, for my revision, I have selected Knowlton Hall at Ohio State University. As fitting for a school of architecture, it is by far the most adventurous building on the campus. Keeping with the Knowlton School of Architecture's emphasis on fostering creativity, the exterior expresses a sense of adventurous styling. The way the building is clad in glass and marble shingles speaks not just of the institution's focus on melding of history and practice with creativity, but is also a thoroughly unconventional mixing of conventional  materials. There's the heaviness of the marble precariously perched on the lightness of the glass and a few impossibly thin columns hinting that practicality must be built on lighter passions. There's an idea that this is the place to explore the unusual and embrace the unconventional. This is seen too in the building's curved walls and straight surfaces. Its as if to challenge the students of the institution to try and combine things that are usually distinct to create something that's all together new. The vast cut outs from the building on the porches, entrances, and south courtyard establish the solidity of the structure by paradoxically cutting away from it. They provide a opening into and out of the world contained within speaking of the school's emphasis on needing to appreciate your surroundings to successfully build new structures. Hidden among this dichotomy is reference to something pivotal to Knowlton's approach on architecture: a series of classical marble columns referring to the need to appreciate and understand the past in order to build from it.

The interior too provides a glimpse into Knowlton's style of education. It carries the exterior's themes inside with its light columns and use of glass. There's a vast openness in this place seemingly made of cold heavy concrete and light glass (there's that dichotomy again). Floors overlook each other, classrooms seem to flow into each other, the hundreds of studio spaces mix into each other, and the main hall provides an open place for critiques and reviews and becomes almost an auditorium. It plays on Knowlton's stress of communal learning and group consideration. There's the same emphasis on creativity with the floating library, curved skylight while the expansive use of glass invites the students to consider their environment.

This is not just a place of education, it is part of it. Its a temple of architectural training in the tradition of the Knowlton School of Architecture. It's a textbook with a front door.

BLUE=Outdoor Spaces

YELLOW=Common Areas and Spaces for People to Congregate

RED=Classrooms and Lecture Halls

GREEN=Administrative Offices

Week 3: University of Washington School of Business

University of Washington School of Business

Architect: LMN Architects

Name of School: University of Washington

Year Built: 2010 (completed)

Client: University of Washington Business school

Location: Seattle, Washington, USA

      The University of Washington School of Business building expresses both sophistication and openness in its design. The building is almost forcing you to think outside of the box. With the different parts of the building protruding from the center rectangle, this building promotes outside the box thinking. The use of all the glass gives it an openness that many schools don’t have. The overall structure resembles a bunch of mismatched Jenga blocks. This formation of mismatched pieces may seem messy, but the glass makes the building clean cut. The division of spaces exhibits the focus on education with collaboration in the building with massive U-shaped lecture halls. This U-shape promotes collaboration, because it causes the students to be facing each other. This is a school of business, and the architecture makes notice of that. It looks like an office building, but with a mismatched structure. This relates to the curriculum taught because business is collaborative field of study.

Blue= Classrooms (smaller)

Yellow= Lecture Halls

Red= Leisure/Social Areas

Binh Duong Junior School

Surrounded by the tropical forests of Binhdoung, Vietnam the design Bing Doung Junior High School contributes to a learning model where the environment acts as learning tool.  The seamless transition from the surrounding environment to the school allows learning to take place in a habitual environment.  Elements of the lush forests are closely mimicked such as the vegetation.  The vine like S-Shape design of the structure appears to be growing out of the ground.  As the students and faculty move upward towards the green roof, the design mimics a growing seedling as it progresses to a fully-grown tree with a canopy reaching a massive height. It appears that the architects, Vo Trong Nghia aim create structures that poses almost a living or self-sustaining quality.  The concrete paneled façade acts as a cooling or ventilation system, which eliminates the need for air conditioning and acts as a protective barrier during the rainy season. 

As seen on the plan, the rooms surrounding the student courtyard (13) on all five levels are classrooms or spaces where traditional learning takes place. The rooms surrounding public courtyard (22) are collaborative spaces.  On each level as students ascend towards the green roof, the common spaces as compared to the classroom spaces become more defined.  The roof is highlighted as the main common space as stairs, beginning on the public courtyard wing of the building, lead to the fifth level.  The fifth level is aligned according the height of the trees in the surrounding forest.  Attention was focused on the notion of not destroying, but replacing or existing seamlessly with the surrounding environment.  With the green roof, courtyards and terraces students are constantly interacting with their environment as they move from one activity to the next. 

Classrooms/Private (RED)

Common/Collaborative (GREEN)

Administrative (PURPLE)

Bailly School Complex 2.0

The Bailly School Complex

Mikou Design Studio

Saint Denis France

2009

The Bailly School Complex is an educational center for pre-schoolers, elementary students, and also plays home to a recreation center.  The colorful outer facade makes for a very welcoming place for young children. It appears as a very playful environment, and no doubt helps to make young children want to go to school there.  The structure is very modern, and the colorful awnings make the building seem very open.  This could possibly be a hint at the curriculum of the school, suggesting that they take a more modern approach to education and are very open to new ideas and creativity. The steel and glass exterior also aid in this modern and open appearance.  With the sharp edges and thick lines, the building appears to have a lot of tension but is softened up with the glass walls and colorful awnings.

While I couldn't find any information about the curriculum of the Bailly School, the distribution of the rooms throughout the building suggests possible ideas.  The blue blocks in the picture above are those of preschool classrooms, the green are elementary, the yellow are general 'special' classrooms (arts, music, etc.), and the pink is the cafeteria.  The way the elementary and preschool classrooms suggest that the schools want inter-mingling of the two different ages of children by putting them in the same hallways.  However, they still make clear that there is a divide between the two by putting preschool on one side and elementary on the other.  Also, by separating the general arts classrooms it perhaps shows the the Bailly school puts a clear division between classes for the arts and generally more 'formal' classrooms.  In addition, though not shown in this floor plan, the mere existence of an entire recreation center in this school shows that they put a high emphasis on physical activity and giving the children time to play around and exercise.

Frick Chemistry Lab Revisited

The Frick Chemistry Lab at Princeton is built in a way that suggests Princeton's elitism. Being one of the world's very best universities, Princeton has a reputation to uphold, and often to outsiders, this can been seen somewhat as snobbery. I think that the Frick Chemistry Lab, in a way, portrays this message.
The building is built with very stark angles and lines. The majority of the outside, as well as much of the inside, is glass. While from the inside, the glass creates a very transparent environment, the outside of the building is made to look very industrial, with the use of metal as the skeletal structure. It also seems as though there are no buildings surrounding the chemistry lab, which puts a lot of focus on the imposing building, which again could suggest the idea of elitism.
Another way the lab's layout could give of this idea is the bridges that separate the students from the professors. Professors at high end universities are renowned for their research and studies in their particular fields. The fact that their offices are across bridges from the labs suggests that they do not want to be disturbed, and that going to meet a professor is almost a challenge, or an occasion to be seen as an honor, like crossing the bridge over a moat to a castle.
Upon further research into the curriculum at Princeton in chemistry, it seems as though much of their studies are done in small, collaborative groups. The openness inside the building, with the ample use of glass, could help facilitate this in that it is easy to see the other students, and it can encourage chance encounters. Most of the department description, though, focused on the high levels of education and faculty that students would be exposed to, with little detail as to the actual study layout. I think that, again, the architecture of this building, while it may encourage collaboration among students, has a focus on continuing the elitism that Princeton is known for.

In the picture below, the blue boxes show the student lab space, the red boxes show the faculty offices, and the yellow boxes show the bridges that separate the two.

Weekly Response 3: Milstein Hall

   Milstein Hall is a recent installment for Cornell's College of Architecture, Art, and Planning (AAP). Much of the intent of the building was to capture the newly found sense of pride for the school, and to act as a new home for AAP students. The building looks extremely modern, and is constructed mostly out of steel and glass. The large glass windows of the façade allow for people to see into the building, which creates a feeling of curiosity for those passing by. Since it overhangs on the second floor, it also allows students to see an open panoramic view of the surroundings while spending long hours at work. It is important to also point out that Milstein Hall wasn't built as a free-standing building. It was built to connect Cornell's Arts Quad and the Falls Creek Gorge. This helps to create a better sense of community for those attending the school and allows for more interaction amongst peer groups between the neighboring buildings. 

   Milstein Hall's curriculum is focused around architecture. Designers helped to create a unique atmosphere with all the open space, and interconnecting walkways throughout the building. Milstein Hall completely immerses its students in an intricate, awe-inspiring work of art. The upper level of the building (the glass box) is the studio space, while on the lower levels are various areas for critiques, lectures, and recreation. Having the studio on the top shows its importance in the curriculum, and also allows for the students to receive a breath of fresh air as they work their days away. The lower level is a large concrete dome, which makes one feel engulfed in its architecture. The walkways help carry the flow of people and produce further interaction between them. It helps to bring students and faculty together to generate new, thoughtful ways to approach architecture.