Vastly different from the strong linear and angular geometries that define the rest of the site, this West Administration Building utilizes curved forms to make it stand out.  The idea behind this building is the establishment of a focal point at the end of the main campus “street.”  This dynamic curved structure not only acts as the grand terminus for the campus axis, but as a visual draw for passers-by along 6th Street.  As potential students arrive by car with their families to tour the campus this administration building will be the first in sight, so it must have great aesthetic appeal. 

The building plan remains mostly open to allow for easy direct access throughout the building.  This provides easy navigation of the administrative and financial facilities as well.  An open, translucent atrium at the building’s center establishes a visual connection from the street, through the building, to the heart of the campus.

INTERIOR GARDENS
Running along the main axis of the campus, the central atrium of the building will resemble a greenhouse with a tall glazed ceiling and planted areas throughout.

Landscaped regions inside the atrium will merge the wooded exterior environment with the conditioned interior and provide an intermediary space between the two.  These enclosed landscaped areas will continue throughout the building along its curved axis and extend straight out from the North and South ends. Once outside, these extensions will blend back into the surrounding landscapes and maintain the connection with the exterior environments. Both stories will be able to benefit from these garden spaces with the planted trees extending up to the full height of the building.  On the second floor, surrounding the treetops, small balconies connect the offices and establish great vantage points from which the hallways and gardens below may be viewed.

interior landscaping in the atrium

WESTERN SHADING
In between the building and the 6th Street vehicular drop off area, a series of angled screens will act as a barrier for the campus as well as a shading element against the harsh western sun.  These elements will be comprised of alternating vertical metal slats, and a light metal grid.  With vines planted near each one, the plants will grow up along the gridded areas and create a ‘green screen’ effect.  By proving permeable barriers, the campus will be shielded from the sun, buildings, and street traffic to the West without creating any dark and potentially dangerous spaces on the campus. 

Set back from the building, the screens also provide a pleasant corridor along the building’s Western edge that allows for pedestrian access ways or gathering spaces.  The screens are placed closer to the building on the North and South ends, and spread farther away from the building, toward its center to provide a large and more welcoming entry to this walkway. 

western shading screens

east-west section

north-south section

STRUCTURE AND MATERIAL
To achieve the transparency through the building’s atrium, the central walls will be non structural and consist entirely of glass.  These will be supported by steel columns on the inside that are set back from the facades so as not to obscure the visibility.  Assisting this illusion of lightness and transparency, thin steel joists will span the large openings and morph into a space frame to support the atrium ceiling. 

This system of steel columns and joists will continue throughout the length of the building with the joists running perpendicular to the curves.

The roofs of this administration building will be sloped away from the central hallway enough to direct the water shed down and into the surrounding landscaped areas.  On the West, these drainage systems will provide water for the vines and other shrubs that will create these translucent ‘green screens.’

BUILDING PROGRAM
In the second module of development, the main classroom spaces and auditoriums will move into this large structure on the South-East corner of the site.  Each classroom block is a thirty foot by twenty-eight foot room can accommodate forty students.  Forty-eight classrooms make up the majority of the first and second floors of the building and can hold approximately 2,000 students total.  The southern-most rooms are the largest and function as auditoriums or lecture halls, each holding around 300 students.

The floor plan is mostly open with outdoor walkways between the different building sections.  These allow for easy circulation in, around and through this building.

DRAINAGE SYSTEMS
On the second story roofs are sloped enough to direct rainwater down toward the north and south. The lecture halls are topped with green roofs which collect the water that drains from the roofs above.  These, in turn, drain down to the surrounding landscape and follow the slope of the site toward the east. 

The green roof systems will help to insulate those lecture hall spaces, keeping them cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.  These features also better utilize the natural water supply by adding an extra step in the water’s downward movement, and keeping it on the site for an increased time period.