top of page

volume

ARC201H1 : how to design almost nothing

john h. daniels faculty of architecture, landscape, and design

university of toronto

winter 2021

design for a communal study space based off the principles and ideas developed from line and plane

as opposed to the last two projects, volume introduces a programme for the space that needs to be considered when constructing the seven rooms. this building is to be designed as a hypothetical study space built on the university of toronto’s st. george campus to be used by undergraduate and graduate students.

I chose the word "curve" that would act as the theme for our design logic and geometry. from my main word and associated words such as arc, bend, and round; I built an alphabet of shapes that I would utilize in my design process: a circle, an ellipse and an arc. I decided to combine the two approaches I used in my earlier designs for the final project merging my two design logics of carving spaces from stacked pieces and curved stairs. the carving motif focuses on creating the spaces and the inclusion of seating opportunities built into the topography. to provide seating areas within the seven spaces, I appropriated the 7:11 stair ratio to allow for bleacher seating at the room’s periphery. every other step was doubled in height to provide a comfortable seating height to allow for more legroom. the study spaces are relatively open to prompt an open and public space where people can gather and study in groups instead of a more secluded study space.

arc201 exercise 3 stair diagram-01.png
arc201 exercise 3 second plan-01.png
arc201 exercise 3 NS section-01.png
arc201 exercise 3 EW section-01.png
arc201 exercise 3 section persp-01.png
bottom of page