ARC 302 Portfolio Spring 2016
This studio was focused on the following instructional objectives set forth in the “2014 NAAB Conditions for Accreditation”. The instructional objectives for this course fall into three main categories; ‘Realm A: Critical Thinking and Representation”, “Realm B: Building Practices, Technical Skills and Knowledge” and “Realm C: Integrated Architectural Solutions”. Following these objectives, the goal of the studio was to design an architecture office in Allentown, Buffalo. My design focused on a simple, but elegant layout of the office where circulation becomes the driver of the project. The core layout of the office is; programed spaces are centered while circulation wraps around these spaces in a complete loop. The office features a main ceremonial staircase that is along the east side of the building to get to all three floors. This staircase is one with the facade allowing employees using the staircase to see out to the street and vice verse. Due to the form of the ceremonial staircase a connection between the third and second floor is possible. This happens with another staircase on top of the main stair. The exterior of the building is entire glass to visually connect the users of the building to the lively neighborhood of Allentown. The main focus of the design is to create a building that visualizes and emphasizes circulation, while being very elegant and practical for an office.