DESIGN FUNDAMENTALS III - FALL 2021
LATTIE F. COOR GRAFT
THINKING INSIDE OF THE BOX
I was asked to imagine a relatively small structure that could be “grafted” onto (or partially into) one of the existing campus “host” buildings. The host building became the “site” of my project, and its “program” was chosen from a given list: a place to think great thoughts.
Inspired by flowers sprouting from cracks in concrete, these big bulky boxes emerge from a campus staircase, supported by steel stems. Due to the form and location, occupying these floating spaces encourages one to ponder. People-watching from the nets above, doing your philosophy homework, meditation, and more in these spaces encourages the thinking of great thoughts.
GRAFT ADDITION
The colorful repurposed shipping containers and winding steel beams mimic the host building in a playful way. To enter these spaces, one must climb up stairs, and even nets, in order to reach the top box. The vertical circulation provides a refreshing contrast from the host building’s horizontal breezway.
HOST BUILDING
Lattie F. Coor Hall provides space for various studies within Arizona State University. With a massive concrete breezeway cutting through the bottom floor, the experience of entering LFC can feel cold and loud. To contrast this dark, echoing feeling, the graft provides space to rise upwards from LFC’s basement staircase, and feel the warmth of the desert sun.
