Fabric of the Community
This design, "Fabric of the Community" was inspired by quilts by Gee's Bend- a group of African American quiltmakers who's roots are in Alabama and craft dates back to times of slavery.
This community center was inspired by the overlapping spatial relationships, and multidirectional axis, found in quilting. The axis and consequential module that dictated the organization of the design were determined by two factors: the existing pattern of the community (vertical- SW to NE), and optimal relationship to the sun direction for daylighting (diagonal-E to W).
The building has an industrial-agricultural style with an acknowledgment of the surrounding residential neighborhood through the pitched roofs and alignment to surrounding homes. The building transitions from one story, on the western side, to three stories, on the eastern side, to accompany the transition from residential to commercial zoning in the community. Operable skylights aid with passive cooling from southwest wind and supplement light from south facing windows in deep bays.
