The architect designs structures where people eat, sleep, work and play. These are the essential functions of our lives, yet rarely do we the opportunity to design one building that accommodates all of these functions simultaneously. A great school of architecture, however, is just that. A building that must house the student for up to six years, maybe more, while also serving as a school, a place of recreation, and an outreach to the surrounding city.
In aboriginal cultures around the world, as well as within the aboriginal cultures of Ontario, the longhouse was used in much the same way. It housed a great number of families, allowing them to keep warm and watch over each other. It served as a single, large dwelling where they could eat, sleep, work and play.
Our approach to the NOSOA is based on the same theory-a single structure acting as a home for a diverse family of architecture students over several years. It will be a living creation that adapts to the students and provides for them, a complete environment for their growth and education.
The retail plaza is open to everyone, bringing together locals and students as they eat at a restaurant, converse at a coffee shop or browse the aisles of a bookshop. The materials and research lab opens itself to the street via a glass wall, letting the public watch and engage with the discovery of new building techniques. The gallery wing at the top of the grand staircase entrance is designed to showcase not only student work, but the art of the community as well-a free, public space open to all the people of Sudbury.
Finally, the building must function as a comfortable and inspiring environment for the study of architecture. This is accomplished through thoughtful design and the use of sustainable practices, reducing the carbon footprint of the university and creating a structure that operates with a strong sense of financial savvy. All of the adaptable studios face south toward Memorial Park, allowing for strong light and effective solar gain while giving students a blend of the natural elements of the park and the structure and fabric of the city center. Additionally, the studios are arranged along an open corridor, uniting graduate and undergraduate, English and French, faculty and pupil.
This modern interpretation of the longhouse creates a new, complete home for the students, a dwelling where a tight-knit group of people engage in the learning how to design buildings.
For eat, sleep, work and play.
(Competitor's text)
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