Deferral of Interiority
The sports complex design is based on surface-to-volume form, which has the potential to create an ambiguous middle-ground between mass, surface, and line. The upper and lower edges of the two building masses are pulled out into razor-thin surfaces that create an implied outer enclosure. These delicate surfaces wrap around and nestle into the neighboring mass, but they do not fuse. Instead, a giant figural joint is left between the two parts of the building.

The outer enclosure dually serves as a shade roof and a new ground, providing a stage for student life. Inside this indoor/outdoor space are glazed sub-enclosures for the lobby, cafes and bookstores, creating a third category of space and protection. Similar to Mies van der Rohe’s Farnsworth House, the entry sequence is unfolds by deferring ‘true’ interiority (which of course is never achieved).

Buildings with Their Own Ground
Since the building comes ‘complete’ with its own ground, it doesn’t rely on landscape to connect programmatic functions together. The building alternatively appears to hover above the land, an effect emphasized by a joint along its perimeter.

The skin of the building is composite panel, permitting individual panels to be large, lightweight, and self-structured. Surfaces are inlaid with figural, thin-film solar tattoos that leap over joints and visually unify the discrete parts of the project.