SHoP: fashion institute of technology, New York, USA

Architectural Review, The, April, 2005

As a city campus site--with many commuter students--this faculty building addresses two main issues: to provide a communal place for students to go to on arrival at the school, and a place to inhabit when given time between classes. Benefiting from a unique situation, located directly within the heart of the industry that it teaches, the building also seeks to express the dynamic interaction between the academic and professional sectors. The proposals by SHoP (Sharples Holden Pasquarelli) therefore centre around a new form of collegiate quad, an urban, vertical quad that is placed level with the fourth floor of the existing 10-storey building. The 11-storey addition is connected to the existing building by a large capacity escalator, bringing students directly from the 27th Street South Quad to the new elevated North Quad. The elevation presents a layered, woven wall--engineered by Buro Happold. When describing the facade, the designers describe methods analogous with the fashion industry; pattern making, unfolding, stitching. While at this stage it is difficult to unpick this analogy, the facade presents a distinctive image raising the profile of the school and its connection with local business. Construction is due to begin this year. R. G.

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