THE NEW NEWSCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN

the final project for my fall 2010 quarter was to design a new campus for the NewSchool of Architecture and Design in San Diego.  the site location is just north of downtown and south of balboa park.  we were given the freedom to design our own program with the only true requirements being that it had to at least entail the same facilities we have now at school.  

when given this project, the first thing I did was look at the current facilities at the present newschool of architecture and design (NSAD).  the basic premise of this project was to design a new campus for NSAD in balboa park, so I felt it was necessary to evaluate the current facilities.  I realized such flaws such as a small library, minimal wall pin-up space, and lack of studio space in some areas.  also, for this future school an increase in student/faculty would be immanent, therefore, i increased the overall program size about 30%.  this would give the projected campus an adequate sq footage for immediate move in as well as future growth.  additionally, i added on campus housing for freshman and transfer students in order to give a good option for students coming to NSAD that do not have roommates or housing situations lined up.

after i created my specific program, I started to analyze the site and all that it has to offer.  I took away a lot of information but broke down my research into three main criteria of the site that I thought would most directly affect a strong design.  they are as follows:

CURRENT VEGETATION

balboa park has beautiful natural vegetation that is
desired to not be destroyed/removed

ENTRY INTO THE SITE

the site has two main entry points from a main parking lot
along with a minor entrance from a southern parking lot

 VIEWS

there are magnificent views from the site to the downtown
 area as well as the coronado bridge

taking these three main site characteristics into consideration, my building started to take its form.

I address the most opportune location of the site
according to my analysis  

Opening up the center allows for a public outdoor  plaza

Pulling up the west end of the form creates a better response to
the entrances into the site as well as creating two new public plazas

Tweaking the form to better respond to the program as well as the
site creates a more intriguing form overall

Building Layout:
floor plans for the school are wide open in order to establish an efficient layout that can be used for universal purposes.  immediate entrance into the school takes you to the front of the auditorium.  placing the auditorium in this location allows for easy navigation for visitors coming to see a guest speaker or other shows in the auditorium.  located next to the auditorium is a gallery that will be used to showcase student work and other projects to create a stronger identity for the school amongst the community.

studio floor plans are open for maximum use of the space.  studios should be centered around community and with an open floor plan like this, students will have the freedom to see other work being completed around them in order to induce dialog amongst everyone.

Building Responses:

with all that I put into my design I wanted to invoke sustainable practices throughout.  using thermal walls, north vs south facing windows, and positive/negative pressure, I establish a lot of passive heating and cooling systems throughout the structure.  this will not only serve as an example of what architecture should stand for but will also make the structure comfortable and conducive to student work.  

Perspectives: