 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Partner-in-Charge: David Sherman
Competition Entry: 1994
The competition brief expressed the need for this design to serve the requirements of the site in central New Jersey, as well as to create a prototypical concept for other potential sites nationwide. The Architect also assumed the burden of designing a form which could become identifiable with Head Start, a form which might be used for purposes as diverse as the shape of a classroom, or as a graphic logo. In this case, the competitor?s design explores the nature of the curve seen here as the boundary of the typical classroom. The curve can be identified immediately with the enveloping arm of an adult (or conversely, the crooked finger). The classroom addresses notions of convex/concave (security), inside/outside, wall/volume, individual/collective, and organic/machined. A diagram of the building's relationship to the site is quite simple: the individual classrooms feed laterally into a collective playground, which forms the visual and spatial connection from the street to the creek at the rear of the site. The building acts as a buffer between the parking lot and the playground, although as they approach along the driveway parents can see the children playing outdoors. The basic parti of the building can be seen as an articulated corridor flanked by a bar building for adult functions on one side and the classroom enfilade on the other. This linear scheme is adaptable to many site types, from the square, flat one depicted, to a sloping one where the classrooms would stagger along an incline, with ramps occurring in the corridor. The dimension separating the staggered rooms is derived from the service zone along the corridor. The construction technology of the design incorporates the economy of repetition for the primary form, to be made of cast-in-place architectural concrete, with visible board form impressions. Each wall is identical, and designed to the industry module of 4' by 8'.
Back to Portfolio: Institutional
