Social Roof

American University of Sharjah, College of Architecture, art and Design, Sharjah

Idea projektu

Located in the heart of Sharjah, Social Roof is an Art Library that is meant to serve as more than just a storage for books: it is a space that brings people together. The design uses multiple main moves to accommodate both outside and inside activities on the project’s site.

Popis projektu

The building’s roof is a main formal anomaly and what dictates most of the design decisions. It acts at multiple levels to provide different services, such as climate response and engagement attraction. The roof responds to the most demanding climate factor in Sharjah: solar radiation and heat. Through a delicate interplay of triangular modules, the roof provides a shaded area for the whole project, while still letting sun rays brighten up the space. The roof is also designed to be engaged with on multiple levels: as an instrument to bring the space down to the human scale by the provided vertical variation, as microprogrammed moments to accommodate sitting space, and as a continuation of the ground to be climbed onto at the point of contact between two. The next level of design decisions is landscape manipulation, which not only supports the roof’s aesthetics and accommodates space for walks but also provides accessible circulation for people with disabilities through a series of slopes that comply with ADA Code requirements. The landscape also allows the project to blend into the site despite differences in the typology of the existing structures. Inside the building, the space is organized through a series of terraced platforms that create sectional variation for enhanced spatial experience and also act as a functional division, separating the auditorium space from the library aisles and a documentation center with private access. Natural light is let into the space through a glass tower that acts as a light well and through a pocket garden on the south side of the project. Space organization is dictated by the triangular grid that also corresponds to the structure of the roof and landscape. Through all of these design decisions, the project aims to create both interior and exterior spaces that can accommodate more than just reading books, also providing space for socialization for everyone just passing by the library.

Technické informace

There are five structural layers in the project: the roof, mainly consisting of steel panels; steel columns, holding it; glazing, clear and tinted; a manipulated ground plane; and retaining concrete walls.

Dokumentace

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