03-19-2014
A School Grows in Erzurum, Part II
The School Grows. Over the last 5 years I have had the privilege of working on other projects for Bilkent University, most notably a master plan and expansion of its K-12 school in Ankara: Bilkent Laboratory International School ("BLIS"). During this process I learned the fine art of building quickly according to a "design-build" process with the campus' facilities team, while they, in turn, learned the value of planning and building for the long-term.
In 2011, Dr. Professor Ali Doğramacı asked me if I would design the elementary and middle school additions for BELS. This time, I said "yes!" even though the project was quite modest: just one classroom per grade level, as the focus for BELS would always be its high school curriculum.
Dr. Professor Doğramacı had two non-negotiable requirements: the building must not leak, and, it must be built to withstand a serious earthquake. It was to be a leading example of high design quality and construction for the region—just as the curriculum was for education.
Our planning process revealed several challenges. First, given the extreme conditions of cold weather for most of the school year, some way needed to be found for making a physical, heated, connection between the new classrooms and the existing high school. The answer was to expand the program to include the future main cafeteria as part of this project, and to use this space to connect the school together.
The second challenge was that of respecting the scale and geometry of the original campus plan while finding a way to make both the buildings and the spaces they created feel more intimately scaled and better connected to the site. The current buildings are not ideal for young learners: window sills are high and hard to see out of; snow and ice accumulates in front of entrances; outdoor spaces are far away from the buildings where the winds are strongest.
Our response was to embrace the "extremes" of the project and turn them into design opportunities--all while leveraging the majestic views of the nearby Palandöken Mountain range.
The project is conceived as two simple, entwined "ribbons" of enclosed walks that connect to the existing campus and its geometry, and to the site's natural topography.
Two stories high, the upper ribbon contains the dramatic double-height central cafeteria with sweeping views South and North. Gloriously day-lit from two walls of windows, it gracefully bends to meet grade, creating a new central green for the campus to one side, and a wind-protected entrance and play area to the other. This wing contains the upper elementary program as well as the library.
The lower ribbon first follows the upper one, then "peels" in the opposite direction until it meets the lower grade of the site. It creates a separate entrance and play area for the lower elementary program. Rooms in this wing are also double height and connect to daylight on two sides. Upper level reading lofts look over the classrooms.
Roof forms follow the continuous slope of the land and naturally drain snow and ice from the buildings. They are lined with wood ceilings which continue to "peel" into the main interior spaces.
In celebration of its climate, exterior spaces are designed around winter activities such as ice skating and hockey, with the cafeteria overlooking a maintained ice rink for most of the school year. Glazing in the cafeteria is also designed around the winter months: "icicles" were the direct inspiration for pattern and proportions.
Major materials continue lessons learned in the design of BLIS: Turkish travertine, basalt stone and extensive use of wood for ceilings and soffits. These natural materials blend with the colors and textures of the existing structures while adding a timeless warmth and intrinsic durability. In deference to the requirement that the project never leak, it is enveloped with what is perhaps the largest, low-slope zinc roof in all of Asia. It is a 100-year solution for an unforgiving climate.
The seismic requirement for the project was also incorporated, both functionally, and for the potential design opportunity it afforded. Robust, steel, "V" bracing in the cafeteria creates a rigidly connected frame for this space, all floating on a deep, matt-slab foundation. This frame is left exposed and painted: its connections and bolts are at the scale of major bridge structures. The design generates a didactic display of engineering art and sends a visceral message that the school is a very safe place. It also creates an interesting scale and rhythm for a large and dramatic space. It is here that the entire school can gather, socialize or celebrate as a community in a spectacular, monumental room in the shadow of Mt. Palandöken.
What began as a small project connected to a larger idea, Bilkent Erzurum Laboratory School has grown to be much more. Inspired by both the mission and the wonderful people of Bilkent University, the additions and transformations for the campus soon became a quest for excellence and innovation that motivated the entire design and construction team. Our mission: to create a new physical place as stirring and wonderful as the vision of the Doğramacı family...in Erzurum, after all.
Design Team: Nicholas Garrison, Scott Melching, Jack Coble, Nobu Arai, Moonhee Kang, Bob Cuk
In 2011, Dr. Professor Ali Doğramacı asked me if I would design the elementary and middle school additions for BELS. This time, I said "yes!" even though the project was quite modest: just one classroom per grade level, as the focus for BELS would always be its high school curriculum.
Dr. Professor Doğramacı had two non-negotiable requirements: the building must not leak, and, it must be built to withstand a serious earthquake. It was to be a leading example of high design quality and construction for the region—just as the curriculum was for education.
Our planning process revealed several challenges. First, given the extreme conditions of cold weather for most of the school year, some way needed to be found for making a physical, heated, connection between the new classrooms and the existing high school. The answer was to expand the program to include the future main cafeteria as part of this project, and to use this space to connect the school together.
The second challenge was that of respecting the scale and geometry of the original campus plan while finding a way to make both the buildings and the spaces they created feel more intimately scaled and better connected to the site. The current buildings are not ideal for young learners: window sills are high and hard to see out of; snow and ice accumulates in front of entrances; outdoor spaces are far away from the buildings where the winds are strongest.
Our response was to embrace the "extremes" of the project and turn them into design opportunities--all while leveraging the majestic views of the nearby Palandöken Mountain range.
The project is conceived as two simple, entwined "ribbons" of enclosed walks that connect to the existing campus and its geometry, and to the site's natural topography.
Two stories high, the upper ribbon contains the dramatic double-height central cafeteria with sweeping views South and North. Gloriously day-lit from two walls of windows, it gracefully bends to meet grade, creating a new central green for the campus to one side, and a wind-protected entrance and play area to the other. This wing contains the upper elementary program as well as the library.
The lower ribbon first follows the upper one, then "peels" in the opposite direction until it meets the lower grade of the site. It creates a separate entrance and play area for the lower elementary program. Rooms in this wing are also double height and connect to daylight on two sides. Upper level reading lofts look over the classrooms.
Roof forms follow the continuous slope of the land and naturally drain snow and ice from the buildings. They are lined with wood ceilings which continue to "peel" into the main interior spaces.
In celebration of its climate, exterior spaces are designed around winter activities such as ice skating and hockey, with the cafeteria overlooking a maintained ice rink for most of the school year. Glazing in the cafeteria is also designed around the winter months: "icicles" were the direct inspiration for pattern and proportions.
Major materials continue lessons learned in the design of BLIS: Turkish travertine, basalt stone and extensive use of wood for ceilings and soffits. These natural materials blend with the colors and textures of the existing structures while adding a timeless warmth and intrinsic durability. In deference to the requirement that the project never leak, it is enveloped with what is perhaps the largest, low-slope zinc roof in all of Asia. It is a 100-year solution for an unforgiving climate.
The seismic requirement for the project was also incorporated, both functionally, and for the potential design opportunity it afforded. Robust, steel, "V" bracing in the cafeteria creates a rigidly connected frame for this space, all floating on a deep, matt-slab foundation. This frame is left exposed and painted: its connections and bolts are at the scale of major bridge structures. The design generates a didactic display of engineering art and sends a visceral message that the school is a very safe place. It also creates an interesting scale and rhythm for a large and dramatic space. It is here that the entire school can gather, socialize or celebrate as a community in a spectacular, monumental room in the shadow of Mt. Palandöken.
What began as a small project connected to a larger idea, Bilkent Erzurum Laboratory School has grown to be much more. Inspired by both the mission and the wonderful people of Bilkent University, the additions and transformations for the campus soon became a quest for excellence and innovation that motivated the entire design and construction team. Our mission: to create a new physical place as stirring and wonderful as the vision of the Doğramacı family...in Erzurum, after all.
Design Team: Nicholas Garrison, Scott Melching, Jack Coble, Nobu Arai, Moonhee Kang, Bob Cuk
