SOCIAL FABRICATION
Spring 2015 | Coupling Design Competition | With Piper Cain, Alex Dallas, and Zach Walters
This subterranean Social Fabrication space connects the whole of UTSOA’s productivity and innovation in one continuous network. The proposal unites the school’s existing resources, which are currently isolated from the studios and social spaces and are largely uninviting. By expanding underground and introducing several light wells, these resources are no longer isolated destinations, but integral pieces of the school’s academic and social fabric. This not only maximizes efficiency and provides these programs with more space, but encourages interdisciplinary interactions and active learning processes.
The light wells illuminate the underground spaces and frame the visual performance of digital fabrication for those who pass by the architecture school. They take various forms to respond to the context above ground and the program below. The light wells in the courtyard are subdued to respect the existing conditions of Goldsmith courtyard, while those between the buildings draw focus to the programs below by revealing themselves on the surface.
The subterranean space interfaces with West Mall Building through a new vertical core that unifies the building’s circulation. It increases the connectivity to the Materials Lab and the Architecture Library as well as to the new studio and office spaces. An exhibition space and cafe on ground level activate the space between the architecture buildings and encourage the public to interface with the school