ENTRANT │ Entrant: Lili Mundroff | Team Members: Michelle Bennett

PROJECT TYPE │ Graduate / Beginning Design – Studio

SCHOOL │ School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation

FACULTY SPONSOR │ Peter Noonan, AIA, Professor of the Practice / School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation

PROJECT COMPLETION DATE │ 12/1/2014

Summary Description of Project

The Institute's mission in didactic research and community outreach of economy and ecology studies informed this site selection and building narrative. 'Place' and 'program' become a system of inputs and outputs of research for the studio and engaging environs for bioclimatic data collection, water conservation and filtration engaging the visiting public. This limited development site on the Chesapeake Bay nears public transportation, only a 10-minute walk to downtown Annapolis and educational institutions.
The overall building design consists of a compact individual research and team collaborative ‘bar’ where indoor-outdoor thresholds are blurred with extending bays and terraces. Public and private realms are challenged with open collaborative clusters offering engaging dialogue allowing visual and accessible connection to fresh air, daylight, green roofs, edible and native plant gardens, rainwater capture and reuse. A separate event pavilion connects to the research studio visually and through a shared outdoor terrace.

Student's Statement

Program and Methodology
The duality of the program in didactic research of economy and ecology were determinants in using natural resources efficiently and minimizing building footprint impact. Building orientation and location considers solar, visual and public access, all while trying to minimize tree clearing and grading. We approached this project as an integrated whole using bim modeling, lighting studies and building energy evaluations from the early stages, as site, building form, function and resources are inter-dependent. Considering the building and site as a micro-organism helped connect the research and development to the site, the educational public which it served, as well as promote a healthy and sustainable building reflecting the Institute's mission.

Site: Access and Ecology
We selected this site (of potential three) for its central location between Baltimore and Washington, public transportation access, and only a 10-minute walk from Annapolis, St. John's College, State Archives and other state offices. Based on initial site studies, aware of the impact of development on the College Creek and at a larger scale the Chesapeake Bay, the design includes implementing riparian buffers above the tide line with native shrubs, grasses and rushes along the southeast coast.

Form and Function: Bioclimatic Design
The indoor-outdoor relationship is a guiding principle of the building massing, envelope and floor plan. The 30'x150' 2-story office wing, maximizes daylight, where clustered collaborative spaces with a single circulation spine face southeast. All presentation and event spaces are centrally located and open to a green roof garden and permeable paver terrace fostering a collaborative dialogue, maximizing daylight and access to fresh air. Optimal indoor air quality is strengthened through cross ventilation, high performance building envelope and low-voc sustainably harvested natural materials. A green roof above the office wing mitigates stormwater runoff while providing high insulating value to the building.

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Media For Download

Project PDF