STEAMaxis
For my final B.Arch semester, I was in the sustainability/systems integration studio, titled STEAMbox. Our primary objective throughout the semester was to rethink traditional STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) education by creating a prototype for supplemental classroom space for any existing middle or high school. We reconsidered what is necessary for science and technology learning by designing classrooms for topics and issues, rather than prescribed curriculum and traditional subjects. For example, the program includes a water classroom, where students could be introduced to issues such as water conservation, recycling, irrigation, global sources, shortage crises, pollution, and more. This single classroom would incorporate traditional classes such as biology, chemistry, and earth science, and would be equipped for such uses.
The site is adjacent to the Ellis School high school and middle school campus in Pittsburgh, PA. My priorities for the STEAMbox solution were to increase visibility of classroom learning to the public spaces and provide a social area for students. Through STEAMaxis, I worked on a "3-bar" solution to this challenge, biasing classrooms to the north and south and creating a common circulation axis through the building. This axis, which expands to the greenhouse on the first floor, is meant to provide space for students to congregate, socialize, and continue learning about STEAM topics relevant to their lives and the world. There are window boxes in each classroom which extend into the axis and provide a view into the classroom learning and environment. In addition, there are outdoor learning opportunities, such as food gardens and visible geothermal tubes in the parking lot.
Throughout the semester, we also considered issues of environmental sustainability and building systems. My solution gives priority to water collection and flooding mitigation, while considering ventilation and conditioning strategies, as well.
The site is adjacent to the Ellis School high school and middle school campus in Pittsburgh, PA. My priorities for the STEAMbox solution were to increase visibility of classroom learning to the public spaces and provide a social area for students. Through STEAMaxis, I worked on a "3-bar" solution to this challenge, biasing classrooms to the north and south and creating a common circulation axis through the building. This axis, which expands to the greenhouse on the first floor, is meant to provide space for students to congregate, socialize, and continue learning about STEAM topics relevant to their lives and the world. There are window boxes in each classroom which extend into the axis and provide a view into the classroom learning and environment. In addition, there are outdoor learning opportunities, such as food gardens and visible geothermal tubes in the parking lot.
Throughout the semester, we also considered issues of environmental sustainability and building systems. My solution gives priority to water collection and flooding mitigation, while considering ventilation and conditioning strategies, as well.