2024 Steel Competition

Liminal Library challenges traditional concepts of accessibility, conceptualizing a library and enabling center with the idea of creating a unified experience, regardless of one’s capabilities. Situated in a flood zone, the site has a base flood elevation set at nine feet to prevent flooding during frequent hurricanes and intense storms.

To resolve these challenges, the site was organized around an ADA-compliant ramp that progressively moves people from the entrance of the site to a rooftop green space that overlooks the harbor. The vertical rise generated by the ramp not only addresses the flooding issues but also reclaims the ground and rooftop space of the site, giving it back to the community of St. Petersburg.

Structurally, steel was the only resolution to this concept, expressing the vast capabilities steel has in a beautiful dichotomy of tectonic and stereotomic systems that align programmatically.

The expressed tectonic system, composed of a large steel truss houses the library within its depth, holding nearly 30,000 volumes and reading/lounge space, spanning over the site and shading the space beneath.

The concealed stereotomic space truss bends and twists around the tectonic system, housing the larger, open spaces of the enabling center such as the community meeting space and main lobby, projecting north to open the building to optimal lighting.

To conceptually unify the dichotomy, positive and negative variants of a triangular panel system were applied to the tectonic and stereotomic systems. The positive system clads the tectonic library as a solar-responsive panel system. Made of perforated steel, the panels open and close to control the interior lighting and keep the building cool. The negative system subtracts triangular voids from the enabling center that work within the space truss, giving the illusion of a solid mass that has been carved away from.

The Cross-Creation Arts Center is primarily a meeting place for the Chicano community, where art practices and groups that have been forced to secondary and temporary spaces are given a permanent home. The arts center exists at a primary location for gathering at many scales – at a metro transit line so latino/chicano community members from around LA can easily access it, between two key commercial corridors in the Boyle Heights neighborhood and bridging two areas with prominent existing public art. 

The porous diagrid structure contains a series of workshops and display spaces levitating within it and supports art creation and gathering at many scales. The first floor of the structure is lifted above the ground so the public plaza extends into a covered space under the arts center creating a 24-hour accessible space always available to the public. A primary exhibition space moves beyond the confines of the frame and invites the community to interact with the art. As you move up the building, a variety of scales of workspaces sit in the frame and create a public commons between them for display, collaboration and cross-pollination of ideas. The structural stability of the diagrid allows the workshops and display spaces to function as adaptable shells which will continue to support the community as their needs develop over time. These shells can be quickly assembled or expanded along the grid with simple, cheap materials that supports the community driven capacity for self-determined use.

SPIRES

Mendenhall Research Center 

Located in the southern Alaskan Panhandle, situated between the Gulf of Alaska to the west and British Columbia to the east, the 1,500 square mile Juneau Icefield has existed for over 3,000 years since the Little Ice Age. The Mendenhall Glacier extends from the Juneau Icefield approximately 13 miles south to where it exits the valley into Mendenhall Lake. 

With its proximity to Juneau, Alaska, a popular tourist destination and port city for Alaskan cruise ships, drawing more than 1.15 million tourists annually, Mendenhall Glacier was deemed an ideal location for a research facility and observatory for the study of, and educational awareness about, glaciers. Due to a general warming trend in our climate and the rate of retreat of the world’s glaciers, it is imperative that resilient, sustainable steel structures, like SPIRES, be built to observe, research, and learn from what is currently taking place.

The two-level, curved, steel structure of the SPIRES Mendenhall Research Center mimics the topography of the steep eastern slope directly adjacent to and overlooking the Mendenhall Glacier. This was purposeful in the design, as a main factor was the minimization of the building’s contact with, and impact on, the surrounding environment; thereby, reducing the need for any major excavation of the mountainside or potential destruction of the glacier itself. Preservation and conservation were of utmost importance. A spire and gondola system incorporated into the building design was used to accomplish this, giving the sense that the building appears to “float” on top of the landscape. Additionally, to allow for maximum glacier-viewing vantage points for visitors, the entire outward-facing curved surface is steel-supported windows. 

The SPIRES Mendenhall Research Center represents a union between steel and the natural surroundings of the rugged Alaskan frontier, highlighting the potential for innovation in design that can also support environmental conservation. An architecturally expressive design, SPIRES lends awe to an already awe-inspiring natural phenomenon that few people get to experience up close. The building’s engaging design elements provide an inspirational foundation for research and education for now and future generations.

Embedded into a challenging cliffside overlooking the East China Sea, our proposal integrates immersive performance spaces within a larger cultural center for Wenling, China. The design draws inspiration from unique traditions and crafts found in this coastal region. Colorful crab shell paintings are just one of many art forms Wenling has become synonymous with, a reflection of the dominant fishing industry found here. Festive parades and musical performances are also common throughout the year. For generations, these events have celebrated local pride and strengthened this community.

More recently, with the younger population in China seeking opportunities in larger cities, smaller towns such as Wenling begin to fade. This project aims to create an institution that safeguards and preserves local culture while also offering outsiders the opportunity to engage with and familiarize themselves with traditions unique to Wenling.

The design prioritizes versatile performance spaces to accommodate a range of activities. A prominent open-air platform divides the building vertically into two sections. Acting as a main gathering point for both locals and visitors, the platform offers stunning ocean views and a flexible outdoor performance space. Users are then able to choose between a more traditional enclosed theater space below or a range of interactive spaces above. The upper half of the proposal holds several galleries, workshops, and studios. A strong gestural atrium cuts through this upper section right down to the platform level, enhancing visibility and engagement vertically. In response to the challenging site, the project’s meticulous treatment of vertical spaces ensures accessibility without compromising a profound experiential procession up the building.

Maintaining an uninterrupted outdoor platform level was essential for our scheme. Significant structural considerations were given to the upper volume, which becomes a large partial cantilever above. A continuous ring of trusses wraps around the fifth and seventh floors, extending to ultimately embed themselves into the cliff rock. These floors were strategically chosen to house most of the structure in order to free up vital public space on the sixth floor.

From afar, the terraced site topography intentionally aligns with the building’s massing. It was very important for the proposal to harmonize with the mountain, acting as a natural extension of the landscape rather than a separate imposing object. At a smaller scale, the primary facade is characterized by undulating contextual setbacks. Semi-transparent FRP panels create a decorative textured skin for the building, protecting interior space while still allowing some natural light inside. Lastly, a lightbox crowns the upper atrium space, allowing for the natural beauty of the site to spill inside once more.

In conclusion, this performing arts center and cultural institution asserts itself as an anchor for Wenling. The project not only addresses significant challenges posed by its unique location but also serves as a catalyst for cultural preservation and community revitalization, seamlessly blending tradition with innovation in both design and function.