A Wall that Unites a Community
St. Louis, Missouri
My project explores how a singular wall can be used as a guiding mechanism to unite two programs and creates spaces of curiosity, flexibility, and seclusion across a long, sloping site. The main architectural gesture of a singular wall creates two opposing atmospheres for the project: open and flexible on one side and closed and protective on the other. The binary programmatic requirements for the special needs center can be divided into these two atmospheres. Both sides of the wall are considered simultaneously.
conceptual analysis of the architecture of monasteries | the thick wall
wall studies | transformation of the standard wall
An important part of the architectural design process was considering the experience of passing through the wall, as well as articulating how the wall is experienced at different moments in the project. The continuous gesture allows for familiarity, while the specific wall folds create community driven spaces. The rooms attached to both sides of the wall, as well as the hallway, house the main programs, but the thickness of the wall allows for storage, organization, occupation, wayfinding, and privacy.