Alexandria University: an updated public learning institution and urban civic plaza

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Date
1992-10-19
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Publisher
Virginia Tech
Abstract

This project can be described in terms of the three main elements it explores: the relationship between the building and its context, the use of the structural system as an integral part of the architectural language and finally, the degree to which a building can be both specific and flexible programmatically.

The boundaries between the urban design and architecture are blurred. The design of the larger urban environment preceded the design of the building. The building itself functions as a progression of public spaces decreasing in scale, as we move inwardly from the atrium.

The structure plays a critical role in the project, not just because it helps organize the building; but also because it becomes a major thematic element. This is particularly evident in the atrium, where the architecture adopts a sculptural tone.

Flexibility to accommodate change has become a fundamental programmatic requirement of contemporary institutions. The design of the buildings that houses them struggles to accommodate this need while at the same time developing an identity. The project attempts to reconcile this apparent contradiction.

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structural systems
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