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Honorable MentionSubmitted by:
Du Bose Associates, Inc. Architects
Craig C. Sauders, AIA
49 Woodland Street
Hartford CT 06105
P: 860-249-9387
email: craig.saunders@dbarch.comLocation of application: Sport & Medical Science Academy, 275 Asylum Street, Hartford CT 06103
As the signature space of the dynamic new Sport and Medical Sciences Academy Magnet School, the "Hall of Fame" needed a dramatic stair to connect the two stories of the high school above to the athletic and common facilities housed on the main floor. The design requirements of the stair were:
• That it have a dramatic form and presence as the centerpiece of the school's main public space.
• That it be transparent from the inside allowing students traversing it constantly on a daily basis to experience unobstructed views of the "Hall of Fame" and the adjacent field house from the many vantage points the stair provides.
• That it provide a safe secure enclosure for students using the stair and prevent objects from escaping the envelope of the stair and falling on pedestrians below.
The clear solution was the use of perforated metal screens. Perforated screens are more attractive than metal mesh and much more easily maintained than glass. The perforated metal screen defines the dynamic stair as a sculptural object when experienced from the outside, but is almost completely transparent when experienced from within.
Bold use of color is a signature design element in entire architectural execution of the school and the use of a vibrant red on the perforated metal both inside and out helps define the stair as a singular sculptural object in the environment of the "Hall of Fame" and allows it to "glow" when illuminated from within.
Milwaukee, WI 53214 IPERF.org
