Heritage
Industry
Education
Hinging on the fringe condition, our project attempts to address issues from the scale of the city to that of the individual. Analyzing the existing downtown core we realized that there were several vacant sites, as well as abandoned buildings that could serve well for a school of architecture. Where the downtown seemed to dissolve, was at the fringe condition of the train tracks marking the edge of the industrial land that cut through the city grid leaving a buffer of ''no man's land'', consisting mainly of scattered parking. This unique condition was seen as an opportunity to bring the city closer to and embrace this industrial edge, integrating it into the urban fabric.
On another scale, we analyzed the program of schools of architecture, and saw a distinct difference between two entities of the school, that of ''making'', and that of ''showing''. Based on this analysis, the program and subsequent building form was split into two parts, a building devoted to the process of ''making'', containing workshops, resource rooms, and studios sited hard against the train tracks, and that of ''showing'', containing exhibition space, auditorium, administration, and library, sited in a vacant corner lot of the downtown core. The intersecting of these two grids, that of the city and that of the trains, organizes and shapes the forms of the two buildings. A ''bridge'' containing flexible space for circulation, socializing, and working physically connects the two buildings.
The ''making'' building addresses its site by establishing an anchor for the industrial edge. Its position helps to strengthen the market area to the north. The north and south ground levels contain workshops with large sliding doors that allow them to expand to the outside in good weather. The process of working is revealed to the public. The east side of the building meets the street with retail space. To the south the once sea of scattered parking amidst asphalt and gravel is turned into a long strip of landscaped park continuously hugging the train tracks and peppered with recreational programming. A long ramp encourages people to walk along the west wall of the building, elevating them to an intimate level with the top of the trains, horizontally compressed between the massive monolithic wall, and the industrial edge. The ''making'' building can be accessed at the top of this ramp, entering under the cantilevered bridge above, or from street side at ground level through a carved out space under the bridge. Studios are on the top floors organized with storage millwork with access to exterior spaces overlooking differing aspects of the city.
The ''showing'' building's access is similar from the west street side, being formal and clear. The positioning of the building creates a second informal access between the east wall and the neighboring building. The train track grid cuts away part of the form to lead people to this ''alleyway'' entrance. Administration anchors the street corner, while the auditorium's sculpted wooden shell is humbly hidden within the alleyway entrance walls. At the back is the long exhibition space with a large running skylight and drywall panels sliding along concrete walls for pinning up work. Classrooms are suspended within the large exhibition space, accessed from the third story bridge.
The bridge is more than just a connector between the two buildings. It is a measuring device, that either runs with or against the two buildings differing grids. It sets up the internal organization and service bar orientations. Seen as a multi-programmed space the bridge contains alcoves for computers, informal ''pin-up'' space, and areas for socializing. In juxtaposition to the ramp, the bridge compresses horizontally, emphasizing the transition between ''making'' and ''showing''. It provides a visual cue and forms the exterior entrances below. Piercing through the monolithic wall that hugs the train tracks, the bridge frames the industrial view unique to the city of Sudbury.
(Competitor's text)
12 scanned / 7 viewable
- Presentation Panel
- Presentation Panel
- Photograph of Model
- Perspective
- Plan
- Section
- Elevation
