African Design Magazine July 2016 | Page 51

International project Cedar Hall – U.S.A. The town of Bluff’s geographical location limits its resources, often forcing University of Utah students to find innovation in the process of “making do”. You could say that resourcefulness is the essence of both their curriculum and rural life in Bluff. Challenges on the Cedar Hall project present many similarities to those faced by African architects. tlight Home Tours A fter twelve years of trying to accommodate a meeting space; classroom; office; print room; gallery; mess hall; model storage; pantry; movie theatre; dance hall; not to mention dormitories, and more, into the historic 1890’s property, affectionately called the Scorup House (named so after the famous Utah cattleman Al Scorup who once built and lived in it) it was time to create something new. The University of Utah DesignBuildBLUFF wanted a space that would not only allow them a clearly identifiable workroom, but also a building that would offer a connection, a face, to the Bluff community, and their neighbours. Thus, the student’s proposal for a gateway to the campus, Cedar Hall, was born. The moniker is derived from the high grade durable timber that adorns and wraps up the walls and over the roof, coated in a marine grade finish. The idea was to create a portal that brings the energy of outsiders into the campus, which is why the north exterior wall is faceted with a natural plaster finish to enhance the funnelling effect. The south face on the other end is extruded, into a trellis system. africandesignmagazine.com 51