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Click on images at left for larger color
views. [Google Earth link]
As part of a larger plan for the Judith Lee Stronach Teaching
Center and located on the ninth floor of the Schermerhorn
Building, this Slide Library serves the Department of
Art History and Archeology at Columbia
University. According to architects Marble
Fairbanks, the project "combines research into new
computer fabrication techniques, building information modeling
and construction, and innovative approaches to ... the organization
of an architectural design project."
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A major component in this reconsideration
of the architectural process is the use of a computer numerically
controlled (CNC) milling machine for the laminated, medium
density fiberboard (MDF) walls of the library. Strips of MDF
were cut via CNC into complex shapes that were then placed
face-to-face, rather than face-out, to create the final
product. Pieces of laminated glass appear at somewhat
regular intervals, occasionally
coupled with a contoured recess to give glimpses
of the room within. |
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The above description applies
to the primary, important wall, the one visible from the corridor.
Its main gesture is to bend itself
towards the newly-opened skylight above, in order to bring
natural light to the corridor as well as the library. The
other three walls turn the MDF 90-degrees into the more conventional
position, where they are cut with complex
patterns and combined with glazing to admit light. Clerestory
glass panels also help ensure the room is hermetically sealed.
These three sides definitely cater to those within the library,
as the outside faces are treated in a gray color that lacks
the attention of the skylit wall. |
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What's also surprising, and delightful,
about the small library is its presence as a free-standing
object within an existing
open space in the 19th-century building. Walking around the
whole room via narrow corridors, the project strikes a balance
between an alien presence and an integral part of the building.
Of course, it's ultimately about the milled, MDF and glass
wall, skylit to accentuate this fact. It's a wonderful little
object, not only a precedent for new techniques in architectural
practice but for integrating new spaces into existing buildings.
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Click
on images below for larger views.
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