Wall Project

One of my goals in designing the front wall of the community center was to have the exterior of the building suggest how the spaces inside interact. The elevation of the building is very similar in form to the plan, with the two opposite-sloping roofs corresponding to the two angled walls of the façade.

Another one of my goals was to make each architectural element along the entry path guide the viewer through a set of experiences. The above photo shows the approach to the front of the building from the main entrance to the courtyard. The double-layered wall hides the actual entrance to the building, but the sloping edge of the front wall, and the triangular roof overhang jutting out to meet the far wall, suggest that the entrance is between the two walls. The long header beam on the outside of the wall reflects the slope of the roof, which would otherwise be hidden. The beam also suggests the direction of the path to take into the building. The two windows (the front Zen View window, and the triangular clerestory window above the main hall) converge to a point on this beam, focussing the viewer's attention on it.
The opening between the walls is visible from the other side of the building, as is the sloping roof and the interior windows and light shaft. The entry door to the main hall is just behind the front window, visible in this view. The entrance to the building is therefore visible from this location, but not immediately accessible. Reaching it involves passing through the outer room and turning the corner.

The outer room is designed specifically to encourage movement through the space. The tall, narrow, Zen view window affords a view of only a slice of the courtyard at a time, encouraging the viewer to move past it to get the full effect. Once a person is standing in front of the window, the high sill encourages them to move back towards the door to get a better view. The light shafts create a sense of mystery about how the light enters the space, which is only resolved by passing under the light shafts on the way into the main hall. The acutely angled corners of the outer room also create a sense of tension or energy and encourage movement through the space, discouraging people from lingering in corners and steering them toward the entrance.
The above photo shows a glimpse of light entering the building through the Zen view window. The lighting is equivalent to midday in spring or autumn.
The columns in the building's interior reflect the proportional grid of the elevation. The façade is divided into five equal segments horizontally and two ten-foot high segments vertically. The movable screen inside the building also reflects the same division rotated on its side. As a further reference to the proportions of the building, the two colors of the screen correspond to positive and negative spaces on each of the exterior walls. The beam that surrounds the two columns closest to the entry forms a rectangle with the edge of the light shaft outside, emphasizing the prism of negative space that one passes through to enter the building. When the screen is moved to close off the entrance, it cuts diagonally through this negative space, destroying it while continuing the plane of the inner wall. Even when the screen is closed at night, however, light from the inside of the building will still shine through the translucent material.

Process - SketchUp

Sketchup model of the interior of the community center. The beams reinforce the proportional grid of the wall. In the final model, there will be a translucent sliding screen that can cover the window near the entrance.
Aerial view of the wall, showing the roof structure and the angles of the walls. The window on the right frames the Zen view.
The approach to the building's entrance from the west side. I wanted to make the approach as interesting as possible, revealing the interior of the building by degrees. At this point, you can see the interior side of the main entrance door (through the window), which means that as you come into the building, you see the inside of the door before you see the outside. The actual line between interior and exterior is also blurred: the two walls coming together with the triangular roof sloping down seem to define an entrance, but there's no clearly-defined boundary. The Zen view window isn't glazed, and I'm also considering putting an opening in the roof to further allow the outside in. The conditioned space of the building is enclosed by the glass doors between the anteroom and the main community hall.
This picture shows the approach to the building from the east side, as one would approach it when entering the courtyard. The entrance is hidden from view, but the staggered walls hint at an opening.
The front of the building. Note that the plan of the building is reflected in the elevation of the roof: the staggered slopes of the roof planes correspond to the two angled front walls of the building. A skylight in the higher roof corresponds to the Zen view window, further reinforcing the connection between the plan and the elevation.

Wall Inspirations

Spiral Apartment in Israel by Zvi Hecker. I thought it was a striking example of how a simple repetitive form can be made much more interesting just by rotating it. Unlike a rectilinear building, using repetitive forms in a spiral makes the viewer want to walk all the way around the building, to see it from all sides.
The American Folk Art Museum in NY, by Tod Williams Billie Tsien. I like the monolithic forms that stand out from the surroundings but also complement the buildings behind them. Inside the building, natural light is provided by narrow windows in the skin of the building, which actually turns out to be deceptively thin. This makes the walls seem light from the inside and heavy from the outside.
Stratford DLR station - I liked the way the wall bends and turns into a hybrid roof/wall system, simultaneously affording access to the building and sheltering the interior space.