Students:
Zachary Fitch & Hannah Wiford
Project Title:
”Design and Architecture Senior High School, Miami, FL”
Course:
ARCH 40102: Integrated Design Studio
Instructor:
Bill Lucak
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.
The proposed Miami’s DASH School sits right outside the Design District and adjacent to the current site of the school. The school is a magnet secondary school with emphasis on Architecture, Fashion, Graphic Design and the associated arts. The proposal focuses on the blending of exterior and interior spaces, with the primary form being an open air atrium with enclosed conditioned spaces populating around. Miami’s climate for most of the academic year has appropriate outdoor temperature, allowing our proposed structure to play with the distinction between exterior and interior. The building takes a vertical approach in the form of a pseudo-tower. The height of the building is accented by four “fins.” These “fins” work in a number of ways practically, as they carry the majority of vertical mechanical concerns. Conceptually the “fins” act as thick walls dividing the structure into sections and growing to host programmatic and circulation qualities as well.
