tilted vitality

The design task is to deliver a new project plan for the student activity center in Tianjin University of Industrial Science. The campus where the design will be located is a newly built area with similar square shaped architecture style. Thus the priority task of the design is to create a building that would stimulate the passion and vitality of college students studying in this area. The design initiated from the idea that college student center would be itself a form that express a strong desire of attentions, which would serve as a physical inspiration to encourage creative performance in campus. Thus, an architecture form with strong identification was required to serve this purpose. In the design, I used tilting plates as the basic construction element to create a series of spaces which convey a strong expression of individual form and a off-balance sense. The floating concrete wave that the whole design presented when viewed from the main streets on campus serves as a natural attraction to encourage involvement of student activities throughout the site. In further thinking, the rough concrete material and the large-scaled blank plates provide an open opportunity for students to finish the building facade with their artistic talents.

Academic Studio I 2014 Spring I Student Center @ Tianjin University of Industrial Science Location: Tianjin, China

architectural solution
The tilting concrete plates dramatized every space with the changing of light and shades. The off-balanced thrill that this off-balance enclosure provide is a constant stimulation for students to chase innovative and exciting campus life instead of staying put in their comfort zone. With the dramatic effect that these tilted structure provided, the scenes that are created by the students’ activities, individual or organized, are too provided with a artistic architectural background, allowing students to become the view of the world they live in.
The plan of the whole design is connected by the continuous folding plates along the lakeside site. The tilted concrete plates created the main attractions along the outlet of the site as well as the interesting interior spaces along the design serves as the entrances or halls. In the terms of function, the north side of the building includes student office and information hall, with the easiest access from students’ daily routine from dorm to teaching buildings. The north-east corner of the building is designed to be the campus theater with the best visual location and exit routes for the coming crowds. The south-east part of the building is the student art center includes space for art club practice and lessons. From the west entrance of the student art center to the lake, there’s a grand stepping area which also serves as a outdoor gallery for students host spontaneous art activities.
The tilting plates stretching into the upper level of the spaces narrowed down the usable spaces in the building. Thus, on the upper level the design remained a large portion of the ground level communication space as patio spaces to create visual connection and spatial attractions. In terms of space function, these patio spaces also supplemented the exiting function arrangement on the ground level plan, assisting offices and art centers with central courtyard spaces.
Entrance: From the entrance of the student art center on the east side of the building, one can spot the lakeside view through the central green land in the art center.
By using triangle shaped plates as the main architecture elements, the design created many spaces with tilting enclosures. These spaces create unconventional activity units of human behavior with their undefined realm of floors and walls. Considering the diversity of student activities on campus, and the creativity and capacity in college students to develop new events for campus life, the space units with the aforementioned qualities provide perfect chances to motivate this youth vitality.
↑Back to Top