The addition of the Northern Ontario School of Architecture to the existing city fabric in Sudbury, Ontario, will dramatically change the block between Cedar Street to the north, Durham Street to the east, and Elgin Street to the south west. Dramatic urban changes will be seen as soon as the school goes under construction and after ten years, changes to downtown Sudbury will be seen all the way at the perimeter of the city.
Phase 1 - Year 1
The location of The Northern Ontario School of Architecture in downtown Sudbury,
Ontario will send ripples of positive change throughout the struggling economy. As soon as the school opens, the ripples will affect existing retail stores, restaurants, and other businesses which will thrive because of the presence of hundreds of new students and faculty. Existing buildings which are empty or have available space that can be converted into student dormitories will immediately become prime real estate.
The proposed location for the architecture school is between two existing buildings on the south side of Cedar Street, between Durham Street and Elgin Street. Existing parking lots between the two buildings and to the south, behind the other buildings along Durham Street, will be relocated to a below-grade parking garage in the same location, on top of which will be a new campus lawn. This will create much needed green space for the school and the surrounding community and this concept will become a model for future city improvements.
Phase 2 - Year 5
Within the first five years of the Northern Ontario School of Architecture opening, additional urban amenities will be needed to support the growing student population. This demand will become even greater if a proposed law school is located across the street from the architecture school. As the ripples of positive change radiate out from the architecture school and a variety of restaurants and specialty shops open, nearby residents will be eager to visit and use the new amenities downtown. As a result, an inviting night life will evolve to become the desired destination for Sudbury residents. Currently, a small market is located just to the north west of the school at the intersection of Elgin and Elm Streets. New buildings can be built at this location along side certain existing buildings to better define the street corner, build up urban density, and add to the city fabric. This corner of the city will be the starting point for complete urban revitalization.
Phase 3 - Year 10
After ten years, the struggling Sudbury will be forgotten about as the ripples of positive change start to reach the perimeter of the downtown area. Pedestrian friendly city blocks will be produced as mixed use buildings in-fill some of the empty lots surrounding the Northern Ontario School of Architecture. In addition to new retail and residential developments other amenities such as senior assisted living and civic venues will appear.
What could a school of architecture be?
A Preview of office culture
The Level Four Floor Plan is a great representation of how the school's program is laidout. A central day-lit atrium serves as circulation corridors, gallery space, and critique space. The atrium is flanked on either side with faculty offices which open up into the studio spaces along the perimeter of the building. On the third and fourth levels, along the north side of the building, there are five graduate offices on each level that pronounce themselves as they cantilever over the north wall below. The graduate offices are connected by small break-out spaces so students can collaborate about studio projects. Faculty offices open into the studio spaces in order to simulate an office environment where principals and other higher-up employees are easily accessible to all the other people in the office. This design decision will increase the amount of transparency and interaction between students and faculty. Large expanses of glass along the southern face of the building, maximizes the amount of daylight that enters the studio space as well as the vistas to the campus lawn. Other program spaces such as a computer lab, a classroom, student offices, bathrooms, and lots of storage are included on the forth floor.
A platform to display innovative design
The central atrium brings daylight deep into the center of the building and draws air through the rooms from the perimeter of the building, out the clearstory windows at the top of the corridors, and exits at the top of the building. The atrium serves as critique and gallery space. A grand central stairway directs students, faculty, and visitors up through the gallery and into classrooms and studios. An exposed heavy timber structure will take advantage of the vast wood resources available in Ontario, Canada while bringing some of the historical character of the adaptively reused building to the west into the newer spaces.
A place for interacting and connecting with the community
The courtyard is very important to the image of the school because Sudbury residents and visitors to the city will get quick glimpse of the school through the courtyard as they travel up and down Elgin Street. Their first impression of the school will be a positive one as they see a vibrant courtyard and activity within the building. The courtyard provides students, faculty, and Sudbury residents with a hub for social interaction. As future development happens around the Northern Ontario School of Architecture the courtyard and campus lawn will serve as a pleasing shortcut through the city for pedestrians. Large amounts of glazing along the south facade, overlooking the courtyard, is designed to maximize the amount of natural daylight that enters the interior spaces, but also to create a dialogue between the users of the building and the public. The manufacturing facilities have been located in a separate smaller building along Elgin Street, which forms the west edge of the courtyard. Large glazed overhead doors facing into the courtyard allow outside on-lookers to see what is transpiring inside. Projects built in the manufacturing facilities can easily be brought out to the courtyard for more room for construction or as a way to display students' work.
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