Resilience - University of Miami School of Architecture

institutional
RSMAS is a well respected top level instuon, but research and teaching take
place in very fragmented, siloized ways. Faculty and students work on a range
of marine and climate topics, but the school lacks a coherent sense of mission
with regards to sustainability – humanisc values, connecon and purpose for
local region. Lack of communicaon between researchers diminishes poten-
al for learning synergies. A resilient instuon will have diversity of output
within a clear values framework as well as strong communicaon between
members. Strong academic instuons usually engage with their communi-
es/regions which provide students, staff, and a learning environment –they
need to act as engaged corporate cizens.
Soluon:
• Create more open lab and learning space.
• Reverse par of major buildings so that circulaon is on exterior and facing on
to posive open spaces.
• Add housing to allow for core resident community, vising scholars, and more
informal campus life which can strengthen community sensibility.
• Facilitate the connecon between campus and its neighbors through improved
physical connecons, provision of common space for shared meengs and conferences,
enhance connecons to natural physical context.
design inspiration
• Ruins and tents: meless structures with adaptable skin
• Structure of buildings inspired by marine forms (e.g. coral forms, whale and
skeletons)
program
As has been outlined earlier, this project will use relavely expansive definion
of program. Specific site and building intervenons will be designed with an
eye to the immediate funconal needs of the School, but also with reference
to the idea of resilient community. The proposal will include a combinaon of
structure, site and landscape intervenons which will support the school in its
growth, as well as supporng the Virginia Key community and ecology.
Intervenons will include the four primary funconal elements:
1. Addional laboratory and research office space
• +/- 60,000sf
• Replace and update capacity of buildings to be removed
• Provide addional capacity in specific areas
• Emphasis on flexibility of space, and infrastructure adaptability
• Hierarchy of systems, maximize passive strategies, fully condioned space only
where needed
• Strong physical and visual connecons to site
• Minimize vulnerability to sea level rise and storm events
2. Indoor and outdoor conference and social areas
• +/- 10,000sf
• Seminar spaces, larger informal gathering areas
• Strong connecon to outdoor spaces
3. Indoor Housing for graduate students and vising scholars
• 24 units
• 400-800sf range for units
• Housing placement to enhance sense of community and extend acve use of
public areas
• Design for adaptability to changing housing needs of community
• Design for natural thermal comfort
4. Coastal landscape and mangrove restoraon cells for habitat creaon and
research
• Ulize at-grade and rooop spaces for potenal habitat develpment
• Design spaces in modular way to maximize potenal for quantave urban
ecological research
• Design to explicitly specified and achievable habitat and ecological funconal
goals
Site planning improvements will address the following:
• Delineaon of posive common open spaces
• Strengthening of visual connecons to the Bay
• Improving circulaon hierarchy and clarity
• Development of pedestrian and habitat areas as primary over parking and
vehicular circulaon
• Enhancing openness and connecvity with adjacent uses while respecng
safety and security of the campus community
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