Students:
Caleb O’Bryon and Will Maniet
Project Title:
“D”ASH
Course:
ARCH 40102: Integrated Design Studio
Instructor:
Danielle Beaulieu
Year Level:
Fourth Year
Project Description:
This studio investigates the relationship between architecture’s figuration and configuration
through material assemblies, structural design, and environmental systems. Particular focus
will be upon the physical integration of components and systems, visual integration of
elements into the aesthetics of built work, and performance integration of shared function.
Students will develop a more holistic approach to building design by integrating technical
systems with aesthetics and ecological performance. Additional emphasis will be given to
building design that can be integrated into the city’s physical and social context, giving civic
weight to design education.
Students worked in pairs to design a 100,000 sf design & arts oriented high school (DASH) in Miami, Florida. They were asked to design and integrate the structural, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems into the overall architectural concept.
Our culture’s obsession with and architecture’s growing use of images have created a world and practice that is being flooded with images. This project is sited in Miami, Florida - one of the most instagrammed cities in the US. Rather than becoming another building whose focus is on the external image, our project privileges the primary visual experience to the interior where the users of the space can discover the nuances of the design.
It does this with a double-sided form. The exterior of the project fits in with the surrounding buildings and blends into the everyday aspects of moving through the city. It garners admiration but does not warrant gawking or a heavy digital presence that can be experienced by anyone anywhere. The rooms on the exterior wall are rhythmic and follow the column grid preciously, while the interior rooms have a disorderly nature that is misaligned to the structural grid, creating a texture similar to the interior of a geode. The interior facade and form contrast this through various means, creating a colorful and seemingly disorderly space that only those admitted into the building can fully experience.
