Final Facade 

At this point I have finalized my enclosure to be composed of a conventional curtain wall system that ties back to the alternating patterns on the existing roof. The issue of the Northern facade feeling too disconnected is resolved by creating a facade that is the exact negative version of the South facade. This lends itself well to the program because the smaller programmed spaces such as classrooms, labs, and offices are situated along the  North side and will benefit from the abundance of natural light.

Building Systems

Issues with the size of living machine, passive cooling/heating performance, and general storm water use were resolved as follows. The living machine was downsized to function as more of a teaching tool than a full fledged system due to the presence of the bio-reactor  adjacent to the ohsu building and sky tram. Passive cooling/heating concerns were handled by implementing the option to seal off the northern half of the building from the southern half to separate the heating/cooling loads and prevent heat loss.

New Boat Concept

It had occurred to me that there was a bit of a missed opportunity in the exhibit space in the western half of the building. I decided to treat the huge void of a space like I did in the Eastern half of the building: with a large “floating” program element. In this case, it would be the library and it would have a much more conventional nautical appearance.

Review

The review confirmed my decisions about the facade and building systems. The new library boat idea was also well met and added another degree of fun and interest to the school concept.

Final Steps

It seems as though I am in a good position to continue forward and really refine all the ideas I have put into the school concept. I want to the show why this is a great model for future education and how this particular proposal fits exactly where it is intended to be.