Renovation and Expansion of Wannan Gym at Sidwell Friends School - 2014 National High School Architecture Competition - Nikhil Chaudhuri

05/03/14
Link to higher resolution: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B25ZXLd6hQpYbTMtT1lzd3RpVlU/edit?usp=sharing --------------------------------------------------------- The 5 pictures above showcase some views of the bottom floor. The top left is a view from the top of the staircase down to the squash courts. You can see the corridor running along the main court on the right and the triangular hallways leading to the locker rooms and nurse's office on the left. The middle left shows the corridor I mentioned above, and on the right you can see an alcove. This alcove has water fountains built into the walls and benches lining the other parts of the wall to allow people to rest and watch the court while they are waiting for their water. I thought this was a very effective way to allow people who are resting or getting a drink to seclude themselves but also still have a view of the action going on. The bottom left shows the windows into the squash courts and the void in the bottom floor that gives a view down into the squash courts floor below. The top right shows the view as you descend the stairs into the bottom floor, which the nurse's office on the left (placed near the stairs in case of emergencies) and the circular stair encasement structure on the right. The bottom right shows a view looking back at the staircase down from the top floor. The left part of the image also shows two of the entrances into the locker room with the wall divider in the middle of the image. I placed the wall divider there in order to provide the entrances to the locker rooms with a little privacy, and also because I thought it apportioned the space nicely. As you can see in my floor plans as well, the bottom floor is more apportioned than the top floor because it is a more private floor. I also use a lot of triangular shapes and angles in my hallways and rooms. I liked these forms because they were untraditional and provide, in my opinion, a more interesting experience, as the spaces around you concentrate and then open up, concentrate and then open up.