CO_LAB Spring 2021 | Senior Level Project Award
Building off the establishment of the Symbiote+ train station, the Co_LAB serves as a the developmental catalyst in the Dixie Highway corridor. By reforming the idea of the activated inlay as an exoskeletal system informing pedestrian movement, the Co_LAB is able to set a new precedent of transit-oriented, pedestrian first design.
The main element of the architecture that capitalizes on the extended pedestrian promenade extending from the train station is the ground plane. Leading to the main program of the the collaborative media center, the large pedestrian staircase takes the streetscape up into the tiered floors of the interior atrium. This seamless transition and gradiented program elements forms a new public experience in a typical mixed use typology. To further the integration of the pedestrian promenade as an urban and architectural gesture, existing local businesses such as the Koffee Kult were integrated along the entry sequence to bolster the cultural and economic sustainability of the spaces.
Building Systems
The project is divided into two separate structural and spatial systems; the modular, stacked apartment volume and the parasitic, exoskeletal media center. The apartment volume acts as a container keeping the media center system from spilling over the edges.
The collaborative media center itself is further divided into three different zones. Beginning with the pedestrian street promenade, the extended entrance sprawls into the right of way as a large staircase with exterior meeting and resting spaces. Upon entering, the main atrium and work spaces unfold as a series of platforms climbing up the building from the inside. In the core a large open atrium allows everyone in the media center, conference center, or circulation spaces to be visually connected. Here is where the café and other public programs reside forming the heart of the pedestrian experience. As the exoskeleton crawls up the residential volume, the public media center spaces morph into shared amenities for residents. The skeleton allows for these gathering spaces to form along the façade, guarded by the undulating louver system.
Louver And Exoskeleton Articulation
Collaborative Experiences
The main spatial and economic goals of the Co_LAB spaces is obviously collaboration. Despite providing residents and general users different types of collaborative spaces, the project attempts to integrate a more active spatial experience. In addition to the static interior and exterior areas, the main atrium promenade has a series of moveable walls on tracks. These walls provide a unique, post-pandemic response to spatial privacy, allowing for patrons to configure their own experience. Several wall types such as whiteboard walls, projector walls, translucent walls, and foldable table walls were deployed throughout the different levels. The result of these wall types and customizability is a unique collaborative environment that forces certain interactions while allowing people to deny others when they see fit.
