Intersecting Emotional + Rational Pedagogy
CROss brings students of Art and Engineering together around a singular piece of program fundamental to academic buildings; the auditorium.
An analysis of the site revealed many aspects that could be implemented in designing a building such as this, but I chose to organize it around two key elements. The first, is a rational grid born from the existing condition of the untouched site. A sixty four foot module astonishingly resonates with all of the existing buildings that form the boundary of the site. This 64’ grid aligned itself with north and south facades of buildings, main circulation arteries for campus, and even described the location of doors and large volumetric changes of its neighbors. The relationships were so staggering that the grid became an important part of the proposal.
An analysis of the site revealed many aspects that could be implemented in designing a building such as this, but I chose to organize it around two key elements. The first, is a rational grid born from the existing condition of the untouched site. A sixty four foot module astonishingly resonates with all of the existing buildings that form the boundary of the site. This 64’ grid aligned itself with north and south facades of buildings, main circulation arteries for campus, and even described the location of doors and large volumetric changes of its neighbors. The relationships were so staggering that the grid became an important part of the proposal.
The second key analysis that fueld the proposal was a pedestrian matrix. Here, I examined the conditions of the site if the Kunkle Building (structure set for demolishion to the south of the site) was removed. How would students use the site if t were free from all obstacles? Where would they walk? Where would they stand? While some of these observations were mere hunches, they none-the-less proved valuable. The outcome was an angular pedestrian matrix, which suggested ways in which pedestrians may desire to traverse the campus landscape. This matrix was then edited down into six key arteries that would prove valuable in the design process.
By equating the program of the Engineering students with the rational 64' grid and similarly equating the pedestrian matrix with the emotional or whimsical pedagogy of Art students, the conceptual relationships driving CROss' forms and goals were born.