The winner of the Center for Architecture Design Competition was announced during the annual AIASC Membership Meeting on Friday, April 15 at the Columbia Museum of Art. Kate Schwennsen, FAIA and chair of the competition jury, presented the grand prize of $2500 to Tom Savory, AIA of Watson Tate Savory, Inc. in Columbia. Other members of the competition jury included Joe Tattoni, FAIA of ikon.5 Architects in Princeton, NJ; Todd Walker, FAIA of archimania in Memphis, TN; and Chad Floyd, FAIA of Centerbrook Architects in Centerbrook, CT.
Architect’s Statement:
In 1810, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe famously peered at the sky through a prism, observed bursts of color at the juncture of blue sky and clouds, and concluded that bodies are defined by the edges between them. Taking a cue from Goethe’s observation, this design takes a reductivist approach, carving a simple volume out of existing space, framing and defining it with a lighted edge, and inviting visitors into a space that stands in contrast to its original shell.
Exaggerating the spatial differences between program components, support spaces are consolidated within a spine, allowing public, flexible space to remain a single open volume within an articulated shell, further exploring the concept of contrast at the edges. Lines etched on the inner surface of the shell are organized along a series of Golden Sections, and accommodate lighting, display hanging, a hinged wall, and strips of glazing.
Ceiling and walls are detached to delineate the edges between planes, through continuous slots that incorporate airflow as well as projectors and projection screens. While the design team’s preference is wood as a differentiating material for the shell lining, the overarching concept is that all four planes would be similar in color and texture, to provide an abstracted sense of volume, which could also be accomplished with alternative materials.
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