orange alley
invited competition - 2nd place
At 400’long, the UT School of Art and Architecture introduced a new vocabulary to the University. Designed around a conceptual interior “street”, the concrete and glass school embraced a more modern language and technology. Our project reinterprets this attitude and “street” concept. The scheme extracts DNA from the original architecture building and combines it with newer technologies and materials. The concept is literally bent and contorted to fit within its’ new site.
A 2-layer ETF inflated structure rises from the courtyard, establishing an assembly space that at times seems natural, at other times unavoidable. Through a rational exploitation of this material’s unique qualities the exterior skin references the traditional (brick) campus architecture with pattern and color. Concrete is replaced by air pressure and the distinction between solid and void, inside and out is blurred to create an assembly space that requires minimal energy and material input. The new composition is as much about architecture as it is about sculpture and the landscape. Orange Alley re- introduces new technologies and form making to the university and reaffirms that this is a place where architects and artist assemble.