Explore Institute:
Summer 2017 | Gensler Internship
Community Center for Dallas Texas
Collaborators: Lawson Spencer, Lynced Torres, Guillem Canals, Kristi Klimacek, Stella Lee, Hannah Yeung
The Summer of 2017 I had the opportunity to intern with Gensler at their Dallas office. Together the other six interns and I completed an independent pro-bono project for the Boys and Girls Club.
The project dealt with the community at large, hoping to bring together the developing Trinity Groves area with the existing West Dallas neighborhood. The building will serve as a trade school and as an alternative for those who cannot afford or choose not to attend college. Below is a context map of the surrounding area, showing the site's proximity to West Dallas and nearby transportation routes.
The site is located on Fish Trap Lake, right across the street from Pinkston High School. The new building will create a relationship with the existing high school, hoping to connect the two communities. Singleton Blvd. is the primary thoroughfare running through the Trinity Groves neighborhood and this was taken into consideration when placing our public spaces and branding opportunities for the site.
We had the opportunity to meet with branding consultants, and it was during one of these sessions that we decided on the explore theme. The intent being to use this concept as a template regardless of the subject matter or location, for example explore construction or explore retail, etc.
Below is a programmatic breakdown of our research process. It begins with the existing East Dallas Boys and Girls Club and a typical Culinary building. From there you can see our interpretation and evolution of the program to better fit our own buildings needs.
Below is a walk through of our design process. It begins by identifying crucial elements of the building we gave priority to such as the North and South stairways, along with the central elevator and mechanical core.
Our interior team was able to work together with the architects to establish a new exterior that would maintain a resemblance to the old building while maximizing way-finding and functionality. The Mexican Celosia lattice design was imitated, creating three levels of porosity for the facade (solid, semi-solid, and open windows). This integrated with the interior environment depending on the use and desired activity within each space.
It was important for our interior to create a conversation with the surrounding landscape. The angle of the two entrances sets a precedent for the rest of the building to follow, controlling visual access and creating an experiential environment leading to the lakefront. The North end of the building is community based, leading to the second floor classrooms, while the South holds the culinary school and restaurant.
Continuing to the second floor, the connection between community and academics is made through our open atrium design. Each classroom is flexible, able to accommodate different learning environments. Three conjoining rooms are found at the South end that can open up and fit up to 100 guests.
Below, the retail space is intended to showcase student projects, while adjacent to it sits the community space, serving as a bridge between the students that house this building and the west Dallas area.
A display kitchen runs through the cafe, showcasing the space where students will be learning culinary skills. The dining area opens up to the lake front and continues onto the patio that extends toward the water.
