Urban Arid Institute
Arc 401 Final Project
Technical Systems Studio
Program Requirements
To design a downtown large scale building incorporating programmatic functions of design studios, lecture auditoriums, laboratory space and visiting lecturer quarters. The building must properly be designed to integrate mechanical, electrical, structural, and plumbing systems. The result of the project will be an institute for the study and development of the urban arid climate.
Development
Early in this project students were asked to consider a current building and its programmatic parts as a whole. The idea was then to reconfigure these spaces according to the conditions prevalent in a desert environment, in this case the Ford Foundation Building in New York City. The initial gesture was to pull the building inside out and to refold the spaces so they could work in Tucson’s harsh environment.
The concept of folding and merging spaces is a process I find myself continually returning to. In this scenario I also added the folds of bio-mimicry and parametric design. By mapping solar patterns and studying the phenomenon of the urban heat island, I developed a method for dissipating and controlling the release of heat back into the city.
Solution
The act of unfolding and refolding lead to a development of a building that is properly suited for the desert climate. Entering the building, one immediately notices the open spaces that connect to one another through winding structural shells. These shells grow upward as they wind around a columnar core which distributes the buildings systems. Circulation may occur by either following the spaces or by use of the exterior stairwells.
*Note, This project is currently on display at the University of Arizona College of Architecture for purposes of accreditation .
