Ash King - ViewShift: Arts Center

Completed with Taylor Jensen

2024 Portman Prize Studio - Finalist

Proposed Georgia Tech Arts Center and east entrance to the theatre lobby.

The project parti depicts the necessary movements that led to the final master plan. First, the surrounding green spaces extend across Tech Parkway and into the newly purchased site adjacent to Georgia Tech. Second, axes are introduced for pedestrian circulation through the site. These connect the campus to the existing Randall Brothers building. Finally, the axes curve to create a more welcoming promenade and to further unify the new green spaces with the site.

Programmatic master plan. Phase 1 shown on the right, subsequent phase shown on the left.

In the overall master plan, the tiered arts center building is located in the northernmost corner, with student housing and additional theater spaces to the east. The hotel and office flank Randall Brothers on either side. Furthermore, Wallace Street has been converted into a pedestrian brick path, similar to Atlantic Drive on campus. This allows for easy student access between the site and the neighboring green to the north.

Key locations within the arts building such as entrances, atriums, lecture halls, and rooftop terraces have been rotated to create clear sight lines back towards a specific part of campus. The floor rotations also maximize light in art spaces while minimizing light in computer labs and black-box theatres.

The Arts Center features a 500-seat auditorium and a recital hall that are set into the site below ground level. They are both accessible from a shared lobby with two central entrances, one facing the campus and one towards the site. Above the theatres are dance studios, practice spaces, and classrooms. Between the Arts Center and the neighboring student housing is an ADA-accessible pathway that connects campus to the Randall Brothers building. The path incorporates bio-swales for rain runoff accumulation due to the site's steep terrain.

Level 1. Both theatres share a grand double height lobby on the east that connects to a secondary lobby and refreshment area on the west.

Level 2. Above the theatres are a series of rehearsal, dance, art, classroom, and student spaces. This floor features a rooftop terrace and the start of an atrium that winds through the rest of the building.

Section cutting through the central atrium. The building incorporates large wood staircases between each floor with necessary fire stairs located at either corner. The main lobby features a set of mass timber angled V columns.

The Center’s floor plates rotate around a central atrium to curate views for each floor's proposed program. The middle classroom floors have views of Tech Tower and West campus. These floors also have a south facing rooftop terrace that is in view of the new dining hall. The top floor is designed to be a hub for student networks such as Wrek 91.1. The floor rotates away from campus to look toward Midtown Atlanta and the surrounding city. There is also another large terrace for students to utilize for meet-ups.

The central atrium, with internal stairs, lets in light from the clerestory window skylight.

The building is constructed with a hybrid mass timber system. The CLT floor system is supported by columns that transition from mass timber to hybrid/steel and finally to solely steel as the load and spans become greater at the bottom of the building. The theatre and atrium utilize a glulam king post to achieve the necessary spans while the lobby features angled V columns.

Fin connection detail

The facade utilizes fins for sun shading and reducing solar heat gain. The fins are perpendicular to the window wall along the east and west facades but fold parallel along the south facade to provide targeted shading. The fins may also open and close to meet the shading needs of the interior program and to improve solar comfort.