URBAN OSMOSIS

A DOWNTOWN REVIVAL + A CHILDREN’S MUSEUM

The design of a new Discovery Space was part of larger a collaborative project between the Borough of State College, the Discovery Space, and the Sustainable Communities Collaborative to revive State College’s downtown area. The Discovery Space is a science center providing exhibits and programs to middle school aged kids. Our team explored spatial and social expressions of osmosis as a method of building community.

YEAR: 2015 | DURATION: 3 months | ROLE: Design, Drawings, Renderings | TEAM of 3

CONNECTING A COMMUNITY

On the macro scale, urban osmosis is realized as a larger city connection through the new community center. Instead of using the original site on the corner of Allen Street, our team proposed the moving the site to an old parking lot classified as underutilized by the borough. This allowed the new Discovery Space to create a stronger civic center by establishing a the ground floor as a public pathway connecting the Borough Building and the Sidney Friedman Parklet. This space is programmed as a community space for event rental, spontaneous gatherings, and other group functions. Its public accessibility fosters interaction between people and promotes the space as a destination as well as a circulation corridor through downtown State College.

A DYNAMIC SHELL

Osmosis is expressed on a smaller scale as full building connections between the civic space and the exhibits of the Discovery Space, creating interaction between the two programmatic functions. Osmosis is also seen in the way people move through and experience the exhibits. The thin, wooden planes of varying heights and densities shape the exhibits to create unique experiences depending on the route taken as well as the height of the visitor. These planes continue through the facade to shape the museum's exterior and express the dynamic space within.

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SUSTAINABILITY IN PRACTICE

Larger connections occur to bring sustainable education to the forefront throughout the building. The central opening holds slats structurally tied to a wind turbine, making them act as "chimes" powered with vibrations from the turbine's movement. This gives an audible cue heard throughout the building when the turbine is generating energy. Such connections are found throughout the building and constitute an integrated sustainable building enhancing the experience of people in both the community space and the museum space.