Permeable envelope: an existing 1950s student centre is transformed into a forum for social and academic activities

Architectural Review, The, Nov, 2002 by Catherine Slessor

Designed in the late '50s as a typical Modernist structure (rigidly gridded, compartmentalized and hermetically sealed), Tulane University Center has long outgrown its original brief. After forty years, the building no longer meets the needs of the college and is overwhelmed by a student population now double in size. Vincent James was asked to transform the building into a more socially and environmentally dynamic entity and took his cues from vernacular responses to the region's hot humid climate and the historic districts of New Orleans. A typical French quarter block contains a dense but permeable aggregate of buildings, like a sponge. Socially, this in-between condition generates ambiguity -- both public and private -- and establishes a voyeuristic relationship with the street. James's investigation of the permeable boundaries between interior and exterior, allied to strong environmental concerns, underscores his remodelling of the University Center. The original box-like building was clad in large expan ses of fixed glass and though it was visually connected, it was also physically disconnected from the exterior. Employing a variety of constructional and environmental control systems, a new porous building envelope permits flows of air, light and student activities. At times, the boundaries of the building seem to dissolve completely as the Center expands into the surrounding landscape. The Modernist obsession with control is superseded by a more responsive, flexible armature for different sorts of activities. Yet an architecture that encourages fluid movement is not necessarily fluid-like in form. James's renovation overlays the basic hermetic box with louvres and loggias, courtyards and colonnades, creating a variety of spaces and places for study and socializing.

Environmental issues also play a fundamental role (Tulane University has a highly active and aware green lobby). The existing concrete frame structure is wrapped in a steel and glass skin, shaded by operable aluminium shutters and a perforated roof canopy that hovers over the building like a giant parasol. This permeable envelope allows the building to remain open, while tempering the effects of the hot, humid climate. The building's ventilation strategy makes use of different fan systems customized to the cooling and dehumidification requirements of each space. A sophisticated building management system monitors indoor and outdoor conditions and responds with appropriate air conditioning, mechanical ventilation and lighting. It is estimated that these combined environmental control measures will reduce the building's annual energy consumption by between 30 and 50 per cent.

Architect

Vincent James Associates, Minneapolis

Project team

Vincent James, Nathan Knutson, Jennifer Yoos, Andrew Dull, Taavo Somer, Steven Philippi, Lev Bereznycky, Matthew Hutchinson, Carl Gauley. Aaron Roseth, Paul Yaggie

Structural engineer

Kulkami Consultants

Artist and glazing consultant

James Carpenter Design Associates

Climate engineer

Transsolar