COMMUNITY ART CENTER
Final of the 2024 Forge Prize,
AISC (the American Institute of Steel Construction)
Final of the 2024 Forge Prize,
AISC (the American Institute of Steel Construction)
JAMAICA PLAIN, MA
2024
2024
The
project is a public community arts center for art exhibitions and local
gathering events. It would locate in the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood of Boston,
Massachusetts, a quintessential urban neighborhood with a mix of residential,
retail, office, and other public buildings filled with ethnic and cultural
diversity.
The proposal includes four large-scale glazed event spaces (glass curtains fixed to the steel grids) at different levels and orientations; an open terrace surrounded by the steel grid structural system; and a glazed corridor with urban views located on the top floor runs through the west side of the building from south to north. Solid partitions are limited in their use as structural shear walls in conjunction with the cubic steel grid structural system, floor slabs, and steel trusses to ensure structural stability. As a result, the whole building appears as a translucent box within the solid context of an urban neighborhood, open and welcoming to the local community. And within the architectural space, one feels more connected to the external urban environment due to the transparent/translucent nature of the building.
The proposal includes four large-scale glazed event spaces (glass curtains fixed to the steel grids) at different levels and orientations; an open terrace surrounded by the steel grid structural system; and a glazed corridor with urban views located on the top floor runs through the west side of the building from south to north. Solid partitions are limited in their use as structural shear walls in conjunction with the cubic steel grid structural system, floor slabs, and steel trusses to ensure structural stability. As a result, the whole building appears as a translucent box within the solid context of an urban neighborhood, open and welcoming to the local community. And within the architectural space, one feels more connected to the external urban environment due to the transparent/translucent nature of the building.
