Comic Relief

Simply Amusing...

Charrette Series : #2 Circulation

Our second charrette focused on circulation in the building.

Idea #1

Inspiration

Idea #2

Inspiration

Charrette Series : #1 Arrival

We are beginning a series of charrettes in studio.  Each day we will focus on a different space designing what the space will look like and the furniture and finishes that will be present in that space.

Day one we focused on the arrival which is pictured below.

Inspirational Photos

Step 2: Block Plans

From the parti's I created, I began to block out space in order to get a feel for where major spaces will go and how circulation will react between those spaces. These Block Plans are shown below:

Block Plan 1 Floor 1

Block Plan 1 Floor 2

In this first attempt I decided to place the cafe right at the entrance because it will be the most used space by the different groups.  I want it to be easily accessible and inviting.  However, circulation was not very successful in this draft because when I stepped back to look at it I realized there were dead end corridors... no bueno.  Also, the circulation between floors does not match up very well which will make it difficult for users to find their way throughout the building.

Block Plan 2 Floor 1

Block Plan 2 Floor 2

I kept most of the spaces the same in this draft and worked on the circulation which came out better but still did match up vertically very well.

I found that the offices where blocking a lot of the natural light from curtain wall around the perimeter and chose to move these to the second floor as you can see in the following plans.

Block Plan 3 Floor 1

Block Plan 3 Floor 2

I placed the lecture hall in the middle so that the room can be dimmed for presentations and lectures without interference from light through windows.

Block Plan 4 Floor 1

Block Plan 4 Floor 2

In these last plan I discovered that I did not want the lounge and cafe to be so close because I want the lounge to be a separate space and not appear to be overflow for the cafe. So, I will move this to the second floor in my plan.  I also decided to keep the library on the first floor where the natural light can be taken advantage of to make the space really special.

And from these block plans I came up with this.....

......It is still in progress, but the ball is really rolling now!

Developing the Floor Plan Step 1: Parti

I began to develop the floor plan with a series of parti's to gather my thoughts about the arrangement of the spaces and how to best incorporate my concept.    

I knew that the spaces needed to be transparent in some way to encourage people to explore the facility which would in turn facilitate interaction between the different users of the spaces.




Explanation:

Public- includes the cafe and lounge which are intended to be highly used from all different groups.

The Semi Public- includes multi-use spaces such as the conference rooms that also double as a study room for students.

Private- spaces such as offices that do not need to be accessible to visitors are located toward the rear.


The last is a more refined parti (probably closer to a functional diagram) exploring how the paths of different users could interact and overlap to form the common spaces.  It also explores an option for a main circulation path.

Color Palette

I pulled inspiration from the concept board to create my color palette.  The cool neutrals will give the modern feel I am looking for while the bold warm colors will add accent and contrast in the spaces.

Concept

This board represents the concept behind the design of the project.  Just like the roots of the tree come together and meet at the trunk of the tree, students and professionals will come from different background to combine at the Innovation Center.  Through the experiences created by the design of the interior, visitors will grow to broaden their ideas of collaboration and will emerge from the facility as well rounded individuals.