AndrewMagnus_Spring Break Thoughts_032520

Regarding adapting the structure/function of the building to pandemics and isolation, I am most interested in the aspect of "alone-together". I think a completely deserted school is a much more rare occurrence than a school in which students/staff must shelter-in-place; so, designing a safe, protective, and self-supporting environment for these alone-together times is far more interesting. I am also reading about how schools in Italy are turning to morgues, and have seen my local high school turn its parking lot into a drive-through test site. It seems far more likely that anticipating prolonged 'miss-use' and not abandonment, is more typical, and I would like my planning to accommodate this. 

For the project, taut canvasses that can be strung between posts (laid out according to the iso-grid) can change the size of 'rooms' from 200sqft meeting spaces, to 600sqft classrooms, to 1200sf conference spaces. 

Folded plate structure in axon (above), and section (below) 

Multistory tower gardens: large vertical agrotechnical elements that bring water and fertile soil through relevant spaces of the building, and deliver produce to the cafeteria on the first floor. An ad absurdum elongation of existing tech (ref. below)