Sam's Wall Design and Model

I started off working in the basic grid system of 2x2 squares within 4x4 sets. Within the grid I wanted to create a system of differentiation of light and play with the idea of public versus private in the community center. My front facade stems from this idea. The intention is that the four top rows of the grid were all initially glass, but that some of these pieces fell. The pieces that fall are replaced by solid and reappear below (in the same grid column), usually rotated to indicate falling. This system allows a lot of light to enter through the top of the front wall, with sporadic windows as you go down; these fallen windows allow in additional light and allow a viewer to see peeks of what is going on inside. What I thought was interesting when I actually modeled this was that in the predominantly glass portion, the top, the grid system is very apparent, whereas further below the grid is still very rigid in terms of creation, but not to a viewer. The order seems to melt into a more chaotic system.

My next intention was to penetrate the front wall at an angle with a rectangular mass. This mass serves as a bench on the outside of the community center, and as a platform on the inside. The platform has a floating step below. This platform is the basis for the inhabitable space--it is a room within a room. The room has a side wall, parallel to the front one and a ceiling, which is lower than that of the center. The roof of this inhabitable space, the room within a room, also penetrates the front wall. The inhabitable space is the most private part of the center; it can serve as a conference room or meeting space. This space has sliding translucent screen doors.

I then decided to have the wall turn at the same angle as the penetrating mass, to create a sort of continuation of line. While the envelope, massive part of the wall turned I left the skeletal frame behind on the frontal plane. The image above was the first step in my modeling process, in which I had yet to insert the acrylic windows. At this point I left the full frame. I then proceeded to employ the chaotic and erosive schematics to the frame, with both the glass and the frame eroding as you move down and to the left (see below).

Two 4x4 squares get punched out and become seats, where the bottom of the punched out cube is the seat itself. One cube, just above the ground gets punched in so one can sit in it from the exterior of the center. The other is raised and punched out, with the base at 12 feet high. The grid pattern with solid and glass is continued onto these cubes. To reach the higher cube there are stairs that lead to a loft from which you can access the seat; the platform and stairs are meant to feel informal and intimate to make this seat a separate experience.

The higher of the two seat cubes is also the place from which to witness the zen view. I cut a window in the side wall at the 14 feet, the site line from sitting in the cube. The window wraps around the corner, bringing the grid system around the corner. From sitting in the raised cube one would have a view of both the courtyard, but more importantly, of the park through the side window. This view as well as the privacy and intimacy of the seat cube would make this a unique experience.