Blog

A refuge to go and take a break from the intensity of daily life and be fulfilled, this is the purpose that Windhover Contemplative Center in California, United States will have. Although its construction has been on the Stanford University’s agenda for about 15 years, only this year the project  received the final approval in June for both design approval and site, and it’s scheduled to be finished in spring 2014.

Adjacent to the Papua New Guinea Sculpture Garden at the corner of Santa Teresa Street and Lomita Mall, the new Windhover Contemplative Center will be a spiritual retreat, a one-storey, 4,000 sq ft  space that will inspire and promote personal renaissance where university’s community (staff members, students and faculty) will be able to reflect on themselves quietly in the daytime.

The chapel-like center will be built in the front of Roble Hall, neighboring to a natural oak grove, where now is a parking lot. The idea of making such a place belongs to the late Nathan Oliveira, an internationally acclaimed artist who was Stanford art Professor for three decades. The art Professor wanted that people have a center to re-establish balance and find tranquility while viewing his large paintings inspired by birds in flight.  San Francisco-based firm Aidlin Darling Design teamed up with Andrea Cochran Landscape Architecture to design this $4.2 million center showcasing a building enclosed in glass in order to let people contemplate the Oliveira’s paintings even from outside anytime.

Before entering the refuge, there’s a long, private garden sheltered from its surroundings by a line of tall bamboo. The exterior landscaping will have garden areas, fountains and reflection pool which will ensure ambient sound as an aid for meditation. Inside the building, there are three rooms where one can see  five large paintings belonging as we said to Professor Nathan Oliveira. Rammed earth walls, wood surfaces, benches and cushions along with the outdoor design guarantee the visitor a great visually, olifactorily, tactily and acoustically experience. What do you think about this place?

Photos © Aidlin Darling Design

As part of the University’s Framework Plan for the Cannon Drive Corridor, Ohio State University South Campus Central Chiller Plant was recently completed by US practice Ross Barney Architects . Situated at the edge of campus, on a proeminent site, in a surface parking lot west of the College of Pharmacy, the new $72.5 m building now serves as an iconic anchor at an important pathway to the main campus.

Designed to provide the new Medical Center tower the medical center and all associated buildings in the campus zone “ice” water to be used for an efficient system of air conditioning in the treatment rooms, Ohio State University South Campus Central Chiller Plant is a long-term, active and sustainable solution for chilled water production and distribution.

The architects’ approach consisted of a modular design with auxiliary constituents of a critical equipment, that will be redundant and durable, being able to support 12,500 tons of chilled water for the medical center customers  in operating rooms, intensive care, etc. In order to improve reliability and have chilled water for critical operations during power outages, they establish emergency power with the chiller plant. Initially with a capacity of 15,000 tons, the chillers for the plant has now a total chilled water capacity of 30,000 tons. They were set in phases and are remotely supervised with powerful industrial control systems. The design team received overall guidance from Champlin Architecture for this project.

This 95,737-square-foot building has a striking, artistic appearance that draws attention right away due to the beautiful kaleidoscope of colors showased during daytime. The 10-story South Campus Central Chiller plant is comprised of all galvanized structural steel to face fluctuating external and internal extreme temperatures in an urban Midwest environment. Its architecture shell is the most unique feature of the Chiller Plant: the structure consists of concrete panels with a high sheen polish finish and dichoric glass fins that create the illusion of motion as the reflected light changes colors with the movement of the sun.

Large glass-covered openings frame views of the chiller equipment, helping to spot the building’ purpose. The design incorporates sustainable principals and will be integrated with the planning of LEED certification of other District facilities, therefore the structure will be intact and corrosion-free in the years to come.

Landscaping around the building is the solution to revitalize the greenscape along the nearby Olentangy River. A “pond” of prairie grass will be planted, also plaza and landform seating area will be created in order to engage the pedestrian traffic.

Photos © Brad Feinknopf, Ross Barney Architects

Project details:

Client: The Ohio State University
Location: Columbus, OH, United States
Design Architect: Ross Barney Architects
Architect of Record: Champlin Architecture
Local Architect: Lupton Rausch
Program: 30,000 tons chilled water
Costs: $72.5 million
Status: Complete 2013

South Campus Central Chiller Plant

Diamond Schmitt Architects teamed up with Studio Southwest Architects to design a new project in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. It’s about the Student Centre at the New Mexico Highlands University, which was started in 2010 and it was recently completed, this summer.  The three-story building is situated at an important crossroads on the edge of the campus, being a central meeting point that links the campus with the rest of the city of Las Vegas. Envisioned to meet students’ needs of having a much larger space, NMHU Student Centre showcases a modern, highly innovative and energy efficient design both inside and outside.

With the goal to obtain LEED Gold certification for this Student Centre, Diamond Schmitt Architects designed a building that make us of innovative technologies and passive design to respond to the capricious desert climate defined by  hot summers, monsoons, cooler nights and even cold winters, but also to minimize energy consumption and maximize the free energy potential of the sun.

The most important feature is that the building benefits from, is the motorized sun traking louver system on the south side used to shade the interiors from direct sunlight during the day and opens during the night. This system is said to be one of the first of its kind in North America. The louvers enable sun shading to the grade levels without compromising view and transparency. In this way, the system drastically reduces mechanical loads. To help its mechanical energy system, besides the louvers, the building also features green roofs and geothermal well field.

Inside the NMHU Student Centre, there are various zones (study, meeting, programatic areas), versatile ballroom and conference facility, bookstore, theatre, café, post office and cafeteria that opens onto a sheltered courtyard. A computer lab, student offices, meeting rooms, dining rooms and a dramatic student governance chamber are to be found on the upper floors. The second floor has a bridge that is linked with the adjacent library.

Photos © Robert Reck