This was a student project by Eleanor Lewis for Galo Canizares course ARCH 2410 in Autumn 2018. This project began as an exploration of the simple form of an arch. As an ancient architectural motif perfected by the Romans, the arch has many traditional associations, and I wanted to play with these notions and quite literally turn them on their heads. The arcade facing the highway draws visitors in and advertises the building as a public gathering space, but at other moments the traditional arch is placed upside down, sideways, and even at oblique angles in ways that alter our perception and experience of the vault as an architectural structure. The building is meant to be playful, encouraging exploration and circulation and taking advantage of nearly every foot of roof space. It acts as an adult playground, with open spaces able to accommodate different programmatic activities and opportunities for interesting sights throughout. Picnic benches located along paths extending from the main building invite people to explore the whole site and provide more private spaces for casual visits. They also act as follies within the landscape, presenting the arch at its most basic form in four different orientations and harking bath to the conceptual beginnings of the project.
