The Indianapolis Design Center
Gresham-Smith Student Competition
Indianapolis, IN
The Indianapolis Design Center, along with the The Project School, are located on the site of a manufacturing facility that was known for the production of racing automobiles in the '20s and '30s. More recently, the factory has fallen into a state of disrepair. The specific part of the The Design Center shown includes an auditorium for guest lectures and community events, a small gallery for local artists, and dormitories for visiting craftsmen.
A small annex from the original factory building was located in the center of the designated site. Rather than waste that inspirational (and material) resourse, the dormitories use the pre-existing structural system of timber columns and steel tie rods.
The structural system for the auditorium and trail-side amenities consists of a series of steel ribs anchored directly into the mammoth factory facility with cables that span the entire site. Two systems are hung between cables overhead, a shading system that can be deployed for flexible sun control and acoustic panels that can be attached, removed, and rearranged. The canopy on the west side of the abandoned railroad spur is meant to create a stopping point along The Monon Trail, a new bikeway serving the entire city. The structural strategy is inspired by the plant life all over the site that climbs up the walls and uses the building as if it were solid ground.
Gresham-Smith Student Competition
Indianapolis, IN
The Indianapolis Design Center, along with the The Project School, are located on the site of a manufacturing facility that was known for the production of racing automobiles in the '20s and '30s. More recently, the factory has fallen into a state of disrepair. The specific part of the The Design Center shown includes an auditorium for guest lectures and community events, a small gallery for local artists, and dormitories for visiting craftsmen.
A small annex from the original factory building was located in the center of the designated site. Rather than waste that inspirational (and material) resourse, the dormitories use the pre-existing structural system of timber columns and steel tie rods.
The structural system for the auditorium and trail-side amenities consists of a series of steel ribs anchored directly into the mammoth factory facility with cables that span the entire site. Two systems are hung between cables overhead, a shading system that can be deployed for flexible sun control and acoustic panels that can be attached, removed, and rearranged. The canopy on the west side of the abandoned railroad spur is meant to create a stopping point along The Monon Trail, a new bikeway serving the entire city. The structural strategy is inspired by the plant life all over the site that climbs up the walls and uses the building as if it were solid ground.