UNDERGRADUATE
Matthew Lokun—Creative Infill Award![]()
Matthew Lokun—Creative Infill Award
About the Award
This award will have demonstrated, through submission of a studio project, a high level of design merit that incorporates creative, thoughtful, and sustainable strategies in an urban infill project.
The design proposal for the Hamilton Aquatic Centre responds to several critical issues regarding buildings in downtown Hamilton, including the absence of privacy in buildings, closure of street fronts, and lack of hierarchies of significant spaces. The model addresses privacy by employing a perforated facade, composed of copper-anodized aluminum panels, supported by a steel structure and spanning the second and third stories of the building. The facade allows for privacy within the building while the perforations allow for sunlight to permeate into the building and views. The first level is rather transparent and inviting through the employment of glazing on the first floor to open up the building to pedestrians. The sleek nature of the suspended facade guides people around the building to each of the outdoor public spaces and parks, further pedestrianizing the site. Hierarchies of significant spaces are expressed through the scale of the architectural model, where important spaces such as the lobby, and the public pool spaces are larger in height and in structural expression. The building's main purpose is to establish areas of passage and arrival, and to further pedestrianize downtown Hamilton to combat these issues.
This is done by indicating moments of entry and passages through visual connections, such as those in the facade, while privacy is used to make spaces feel like a place of arrival.
This award will have demonstrated, through submission of a studio project, a high level of design merit that incorporates creative, thoughtful, and sustainable strategies in an urban infill project.
The design proposal for the Hamilton Aquatic Centre responds to several critical issues regarding buildings in downtown Hamilton, including the absence of privacy in buildings, closure of street fronts, and lack of hierarchies of significant spaces. The model addresses privacy by employing a perforated facade, composed of copper-anodized aluminum panels, supported by a steel structure and spanning the second and third stories of the building. The facade allows for privacy within the building while the perforations allow for sunlight to permeate into the building and views. The first level is rather transparent and inviting through the employment of glazing on the first floor to open up the building to pedestrians. The sleek nature of the suspended facade guides people around the building to each of the outdoor public spaces and parks, further pedestrianizing the site. Hierarchies of significant spaces are expressed through the scale of the architectural model, where important spaces such as the lobby, and the public pool spaces are larger in height and in structural expression. The building's main purpose is to establish areas of passage and arrival, and to further pedestrianize downtown Hamilton to combat these issues.
This is done by indicating moments of entry and passages through visual connections, such as those in the facade, while privacy is used to make spaces feel like a place of arrival.
