The purpose of this contest was to build a classroom for the Tenessee Concrete Association, as an expansion of their facilities, and it was mandatory to resort to their own materials.
Since the building is supposed to be a showcase of the possibilities that tilt-up construction systems allow, all the structure is in concrete and the main room is in poured concrete both inside and outside (with insulated sandwich panels).
Regarding the small given area for the project location, the first instinct was to build a single block with all the functions requested. But, when exploring that concept, it seemed too massive and the different spaces wouldn’t have their own quality.
So, in a try to fragment the spaces, it would be necessary to bend the program. The restrooms and bar/catering area need fixed installations for water and electricity, so those were out of the equation. But if we consider the connection between classroom and storage, there is a relation of dependence/independence: if all the chairs and tables are in use for the room, why have an empty space for storage wasted?
The solution was a mobile wall that slides in the room, dividing it according to the function requested. With the application of this system, it was possible to free the spaces from each others, so different uses won’t interfere with different spaces.
The structures were all designed to be self-sustainable and take the maximum advantage as possible from natural resources. The solar panel structure works not only as a solar energy collector, but also as a rainwater collector and shadow device that prevents the modules from overheating in summer.
The geothermal heat pump system prevents a waste of energy, since it uses the natural heat storage ability of the earth to heat and cool down the water collected.
The presentations’ room has a north/south orientation, and the big glass facade is the one facing south. The overhanged roof of the solar panels provides this facade shading during the summer, so it won’t have problems with thermal lost efficiency. The blackout screen that blocks the south light during presentations is also used as screen for projecting, minimizing the costs.
The fact that this screen in in the border between the room and the exterior space also allows that, if the weather is favorable, during night the conferences can be given from the inside to the outside. The windows can be opened, people will be in the esplanade looking to the south facade where it would be the projections.
In conclusion, the whole project was thought not only to be self sustainable and environment friendly, but also the most flexible as possible, so the space can be easily changed according to different needs and functions, and works in parallel with the existing building, since the different uses are detached from each others.
I believe this proposal deserves a second chance because unlike the great majority of the winners, I responded to all the challenges, not only managing to use their materials, but also designing an entirely self sustainable building, wich flexibility allows a lot more experiences in it than the rest of the porposals.