Conversations Overheard
Analysis by Ramon Sanchez
Translation by Joel Piazza
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- Piazza dei Santi Apostoli. The doors of the bottom floor are removed to introduce a new courtyard and through space.
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- Section from Piazza dei Santi Apostoli (the street) into the courtyard. The wall becomes a mediator, threshold, between the street and courtyard. The school library on the second floor overlooks both the street and courtyard while a new stage provides seating and platforms for lectures.
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- Top view of the doors on the stage. The gears synchronize the movements of the two doors, requiring two people to operate its 180 degree closing and opening. The closed doors allow two lectures to happen at once with less audible interference. The doors open allow passage and unify a single lecture or performance.
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- The workings of the door. The main gear can be seen through the wall, allowing light and shadow to pass into the wall. The large gear becomes a type of rose window, a centerpiece of the school. The inner rings of the gear can be changed, artfully created to reflect the zone of inquiry (i.e., water) of the school. The door was taken from the exterior, where the doors were removed.
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- The door handle is a bar set into the door. To unlatch the lock the handle bar must be pulled down and the user takes a step backward as the bar swings down. The handle must be held down the entire course. If released, the latch will lock into the track, stopping both doors. A secondary track allows the heavy door to roll along a wheel.
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- A proposed bus stop increases the traffic to and through the wall. A woman walking to the bus stop may see and hear a lecture taking place.
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- Two existing columns on the site were previously hidden by bookshelves in the bookstore. The columns, with added high tables, become a meeting point between people. The crowd on the bottom of the drawing are exiting the cinema, walking towards the lecture space.
