Teaching Stewardship
*In Progress
Advanced Studio with Adam Hopfner and Talitha Liu
Fall 2024
The theme of this project is teaching and living stewardship. Stewardship of the river, city, community, and land that Wilbur Cross students experience every day.
Rather than constructing another building that extends the high school campus across the street and stacking programs purely for efficiency, I wanted to challenge the students to take on responsibility and care for the new space. Tracing the river and finding a tempo, I created a linear village of programs. This formation pushes the students to connect these programs through movement and intimate relationship building, bringing the village to life.
Students enter their village, walking through a classroom, a two-story workshop, and an administrative reception area for a little help. They can walk through a hallway connecting these programs, or walk by the river from deck to deck, getting their feet wet between each one.
With one zone focused on inter-student community building, it was important to create a medium zone that connects the school with the public. The second zone creates a mesh between three points: the water, the land, and the road. Complimented by a welcoming landscape and a gallery space the broader New Haven community is welcomed to the student’s community.