The geometry of the ticket booth counters was derived from studies of the ergonomic needs of the booth attendants who are stationary inside the booths and the museum visitors who queue up and move around the outside of the booths from the lobby to the museum. Each booth accommodates two attendants who face opposite directions. All ticketing equipment is placed around the attendant to allow efficient transactions with each visitor while the exterior configuration of the booths and the placement of related pieces (guard station and brochure stands) encourage smooth and continuous movement from the lobby through the ticketing process to the museum.

A combination of clear and translucent glass surfaces exploit the abundant natural light from an adjacent courtyard to continually transform the visual effect of the ticket booths from solid to reflective to transparent as one moves from the lobby to the museum. The effects range from a reflection of adjacent art to virtual disappearance from the glow of natural light.

The ticket booths were fabricated as layers of solid surfacing material and glass over a steel skeletal frame on wheels to allow their removal during special events and museum openings.

This project coincided with a school wide evaluation of how the curriculum could respond to the emergence of these new technologies.

In contrast to models of teaching based on the hierarchy of information flowing from instructor to the students, using computer technologies as instruments of discovery encourages interactive, project-based learning that leads to more complex collaborative teaching models and the potential for more independent learning through interactive media.

The organization of the new Design Center explicitly addressed this condition by carefully structuring visual, programmatic and technological links between the corridor, gallery, workstations, theater, and study cubicles to form an integrated learning environment.

In what could be referred to as an expanded context, the library has evolved from being a container of information to being a node on a diverse and open network. Its status is judged not only by the material collection but by the ability to efficiently connect users with information, both inside and outside its physical boundaries.

In a library such as the Kansai-kan of the National Diet Library, the ownership and the archiving of materials is as equally important as the electronic access to information. The building represents the accessibility of all types of information – both material and electronic through the fluid connections between inside and outside and the (visually) fluid boundaries between accessible and closed areas. The space of information exchange, while encouraging exchanges between readers by becoming a crossroads within the library, acknowledges that some readers may be in remote locations and would therefore become an electronic crossroads as well.

With minimal new construction, we enclosed the void between the front and back creating an atrium and 2 stairs – the stairs functioning as both fire stairs and general vertical circulation. The design is organized around the new atrium that has south facing clerestory windows and is shaped to draw light deep into the building interiors. The atrium extends from the second to the third floor with a link to the ground floor through 3 glass portals in the atrium floor. An open bridge in the atrium connects administrative spaces with activity spaces and provides a place to view to events on the lower level.

The program called for a number of general use classrooms and larger multi-purpose areas. These instructional areas were designed with numerous visual links to maintain an informal level of supervision. The everyday operation consists of after-school homework then classes in a variety of subjects including computers, music and dance, with occasional assemblies and performances that bring in the community at large. The project is designed for the future addition of a gymnasium on the roof – all building systems and egress routes were calculated with this addition in mind. The construction was funded by The State Office of Alcohol and Substance Abuse, one of the few preventative funding strategies of this agency.

Sustainability

This project allowed OCF to expand their operations to serve 300 local families. Their formula for success and sustained growth is directly linked to their policy to involve the entire family, not just the children. Programming and the involvement of parents has been a part of OCF from the start. The project was designed to take advantage of the existing site orientation and utilize daylight for interior lighting to the greatest extent possible. Recycled materials were used for flooring, and as a renovation, the project reuses existing building infrastructure. Originally built as a dairy, the structural capacities were already capable of expanded loading beyond the planned afterschool programs. Integrating aspects of the planned future addition into the current design, such as egress widths, allows for that future work to require minimal changes to the existing building.

Due to extensive research indicating better performance in smaller classroom environments, large cities began experimenting with strategies to scale down the organization of schools to achieve optimum sizes for student achievement.

Because it is politically and financially impractical to build new public schools as small as desired, a new typology of schools within schools has emerged.  This project is a new prototype based on an organization that takes an 800-student elementary school and provides 4 smaller schools within one building.  The schools share certain resources and facilities but have adequate autonomy to generate individual identities and cultures within their own precincts.