03 | Room After Room

Off-Grid

8,000 sq ft wedged into Bauer-Wurster Hall’s south lawn. A mash-up of programs: a student lounge, auditorium, faculty offices, and ceremonial circulation. A task of creating conditions of "Room After Room" and sequencing spaces. The idea started simple: a perfect 5x5 offset grid drawing from Bauer-Wurster's facade. But instead of keeping everything clean and predictable, I experimented with incorporating irregularity and nuance rooted in logic, with each purposefully breaking such to make a statement on perfection.
 
From the outside it's straightforward - a solid cube penetrated by seemingly random openings. Inside, however, it’s a different story. These openings correspond to specific moments of circulation and experiential moments interconnecting each floor. Four floors stack within the 5x5 volume, blurring exterior legibility of vertical division. Light penetrates the lobby, landing, and gallery spaces simultaneously. Restrooms and storage spaces wedge neatly underneath the ceremonial stair and ramp. Gallery spaces are both together and separate. The heavy, central auditorium seemingly floats above the student lounge. 

I sought to explore what happens when something “perfect” isn’t treated so perfectly. The square grid provides structure and logic, while the program, lighting strategy, and natural slope of the site introduce variation and intertwined movement to populate perfection with imperfection.

While compact, this cube is teeming with action and energy, demonstrating how a highly resolved project can be both logical and imperfect.