Desert Oasis: Fostering Community in the Sonoran Sands
The newly designed campus focuses on the history of the Hohokam communities that lived in the area. Hohokam communities were the first to settle in the area and organized themselves with a large communal area in the center, with individual housing encircling the space. This campus reflects a large communal space with a larger building that holds educational, studio, and social spaces with student and faculty housing surrounding the building. The housing gives back to the environment by developing green roofs that can house local flora and fauna.
Upper Floor Plan
Lower Floor Plan
Designing structure with yarn and glue
Designing structure with yarn draped over balloon
Structure designed with context
The new design discourages the destruction of flora and fauna by incorporating green roofs into the landscape of residential buildings. Any earth that was excavated to place the buildings was reused as rammed earth in the construction of the buildings. The yellow highlights points of high interaction within the campus.
The new site focuses on framing the views of the desert, so the new building creates moments of framing.
The residential buildings work as a collection of smaller homes for students and faculty alike. They share a few amenities outside of their homes, such as the laundry facility. The community's laundry contributes life and color to the area, highlighting the messiness and beauty of real life.