New Zealand Commercial Design Trends Series NZ Commercial Design Trends Vol. 35/01C | Page 68

passage are intended for design-build courses
and have direct access to the outdoor work area.
Scattered cubes of different materials signify dif-
ferent uses within the open studio space – curtains
for the jury areas, glass and panels for seminar and
meeting spaces, concrete for the fabrication lab.
Two glazed freestanding pavilions serve as
faculty and visiting professor offices that can be
redesigned and rebuilt by students each year, pro-
viding a setting for creativity and collaboration.
And the giant multiuse studio building is just as
cool in terms of sustainability as it is in terms of
eye-catching, inspirational aesthetics.
The design, orientation and strategic elements
of the building address the movements of the sun
and ensure a sustainable work environment even in
the hottest months. The concrete roof warps over
the southernmost point of the building to shade
the interior from sunlight. The building can operate
during daytime without the use of any artificial light, thanks in part to the first ever use of 5.5m-high
hurricane-resistant glass panels – their superior
strength an environmental requirement. Operable
windows allow better circulation and eliminate
dependence on air conditioning during the summer.
“Studios are the heart of an architecture school
– a strong magnet for prospective students,” says
Fort. “Hence this building. The design of the studio
spaces draws together every aspect of 21C peda-
gogy into a cogent whole – packing everything into
a deceptively simple envelope of thin concrete.”
Dean of the University of Miami School of
Architecture Rodolphe el-Khoury says the
design studio complements the school’s existing
constellation of buildings that constitute a campus-
within-the-campus.
“The vast studio space designed to enhance
co-creation and the digital fabrication lab, among
several other features, are welcome additions to our
beloved historic and award-winning facilities.”
Project:University of Miami School of Architecture
Thomas P Murphy Design Studio Building
Client: University of Miami, Facilities Planning &
Construction
Design architect and architect of record:Arquitectonica;
project designer – Raymond Fort, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP
Landscape architect:ArquitectonicaGEO
Interior designers:ArquitectonicaINTERIORS and
University of Miami Interior Design, Office of the
University Architect
Structural:GMG
Acoustical:Shen Milsom & Wilke Mechanical, electrical and plumbing/fire
protection:Stantec
Civil:VSN
Geotechnical engineer:NV5
Sustainability:SUMAC
Construction:Coastal Construction Group
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Story by Charles Moxham
Photography by Robin Hill and Miami in Focus
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324231942 at Trendsideas.com
Previous pages Soaring
5.5m-high hurricane-resistant
glass panels clad the sides of
the structure. The building is
in a sense a giant shed, with
a vaulted roof held up by steel
columns and a few fixed walls.
Below The design studio’s
open-air cafe is shaded by the
building’s slender, curving roof.
Facing page: A welcoming
facade – with the building entry
just out of picture to the left, the
solid concrete end wall connects
visually with another key campus
building and can also be seen
from the university’s transit hub.