[ Fall 2010 ]
Professor Anna Mutin
Inspired by the 1980 film ‘Fame’, this project was to design a high school in San Francisco for Performing Arts students. The design prompt I made for this project was to design dormitories, art studios, dance studios, music studios, and lecture/lab classrooms while accommodating for, what I would describe as the, ‘creative spirit’.
The physical environments for all these different ‘types’ of rooms were specific to its use. ie. a lecture classroom accommodates more seating and a single-focused to the room, whereas an art studio can have an open public space but requires private work spaces. The organization used to order these different creative atmospheres was like a shopping mall – Rooms organized along a central pathway. Due to the site constraints, the pathway was built vertically and courtyards were placed in between the programs to both physically separate rooms and provide gathering space for students.
Through research and school visitations, it became apparent that classrooms and studios are really important for students to learn and work. But the main reason for a Creative High School is for what happens outside the classroom. Gathering spaces were strategically placed outside classrooms.The central atrium floods these spaces with light.
