Community Music Institute

This was my studio design project for the Fall quarter.  The client was a Suzuki-method strings program for kids (http://suzukiassociation.org/).  They teach very young children to play stringed instruments (violin, viola, cello).  The community aspect of the program was very important to the client, so I put a community gathering space at the center of the facility under a large pitched roof that feels independent of the surrounding rooms--I envision it feeling a like a large outdoor pavilion, yet enclosed.  The site is on the corner of two streets: one primarily residential, the other with a likely mixed-used commercial future.  Two large group classrooms are oriented toward the commercial street and would have tall glass curtain walls facing the street.  The residential street front receives smaller volumes (similar to the adjacent townhouses), an outdoor green space and a more informal entry.  The green space uses some existing mature trees and provides a space for the kids to run and play on their break between sessions.  The small rooms toward the back are studios for individual lessons.

I wanted the architecture to communicate both precision and expressiveness, two of the key qualities of classical chamber music.  I also wanted it to be an enjoyable icon that permanently improved the neighborhood--something that neighbors would adjust their walking route to pass.

The drawing photo above represent a view from the more commercial street front.

The drawing above and photo below represent the view from the more residential street front.  The section above cuts through the performance hall (left), then the community gathering space, and finally out the entryway toward the more commercial street front--I intended for it to be a high space that gives an elevated sense, a special experience.