Urban corridor
Sited on a string of five disused lots, NOSOA threads together vital parts of Sudbury's urban fabric. It links mall, park, bus terminal, and government offices, activating a route between institutions recalling the ancient Forum (civic center) and Agora (marketplace). NOSOA's placement here emphasizes the role of the school in Sudbury's revitalization.
Architecture lab
The studios are elevated above this corridor. Suggesting both the cultural and formal arrangement of the aboriginal longhouse, as well as the industrial legacy of Sudbury, the elevated studio box allows visibility, reminding students of their urban responsibility. This space allows for flexible use of all an architect's tools: drawing, modeling, digital fabrication and presentation.
Boreal forest
Atop the studio lies a swath of boreal forest. Urban reforestation is an appropriate strategy for Sudbury, where forest is a major component of indigenous culture, and the Canadian landscape. Under the stewardship of student caretakers, the rooftop forest will flourish as a place for study, inspiration, and reinvigoration, fostering mutual respect and responsibility among students.
Curriculum
As architecture embraces the digital era, computers need to be celebrated as the primary tool of the architect. Too often, computing facilities are dark, joyless spaces. Breaking convention, computing is integrated into an open studio design where students can organize into ad-hoc groups. Flexible computing options allow for dynamic social interaction, creating an ever-ready exhibit of student ingenuity.
Also unique is NOSOA's dual-stream education. As separate language streams can divide the school community, this scheme focuses on unifying these groups through studio, where language and cultural barriers are overcome in a flexible space accessible to all.
Sustainability
Sustainable principles are integrated throughout the project: efficient forms, local materials, precision siting. High-performance glazing and louver systems guard against heat gain in summer and loss in winter. Green roof technology and urban reforestation enable NOSOA to collect and treat rain water, while cleansing the air. The site, comprised of former parking lots, integrates with the bus terminal to promote use of mass transit.
Summary
The space of the school is autonomous, yet part of the city. A student on the rooftop can be enveloped by trees, yet occupy the space of an urban avenue. At this moment, they experience a juxtaposition that will define their careers: the balance between city and forest; natural and man-made.
This scheme can be read as layers: (1) an interactive pedestrian corridor, (2) a dynamic studio space, and (3) a swath of forest embedded in the city. The corridor reflects the necessity of collaboration between students and the community; the studio promotes flexible, interconnected learning; the forest reflects NOSOA's role in the ecological crisis.
The scheme deliberately eschews iconicity; it cannot be seen entirely from any point, but rather manifests itself as connective tissue. The vision is an architecture school as connective infrastructure; not an object, nor solution, but a process. NOSOA provides an infrastructure for the community to re-imagine its own future - one which is creative, sustainable, and boasts higher quality of life for all.
(Competitor's text)
23 scanned / 16 viewable
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- Axonometric Drawing
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