Machado and Silvetti Associates, Inc.
We propose a spatial and formal organization that is very flexible. As a true type, it can be transformed and reused in a variety of urban or rural contextual situations. The model has a clear internal road and mechanical infrastructure, clear zoning, distinctive buildings and an equally clear and recognizable overall image and formal quality. In addition, it can be built in phases and either by a single firm or by multiple firms. If built by multiple architects, precise building guidelines and recommendations should be followed in order to guarantee architectural consistency and the correct relation between buildings and open spaces.
We have opted to design a dense and compact campus, one that does not utilize or spill over the entire available land area but leaves a portion of the site open and available for enjoyment as a natural space, or can be developed in the future as a campus annex or for campus expansion.
 |
 |
 |
 |
Above all, this compact strategy results in a campus with a strong formal presence, a strong image and recognizable identity, a campus that functions like an academic town or “academic citadel” clearly occupying and defining an urban district in a city, or having a commanding presence in a suburban or rural landscape. We like to think of this campus as an “object,” an objectified piece of campus fabric.
Like a good city, the campus incorporates a range of scales as well as types of roads and walks plus an array of buildings, all diverse according to their function and role, and placed in such a way as to form a variety of significant open spaces and unique places. Organizing it all is an orthogonal grid derived from the direction of the roads framing the campus. This early design choice is driven by a consideration for useful pragmatism.
