LIBERAL ARTS
UNIVERSITY DESIGN
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Norfolk, Virginia, USA
Next University is a 11, 393 square foot private liberal arts institution located at 1584 Wesleyan Drive, Norfolk, Virginia, USA. Zen is the idea that focusing on one’s essential nature to the exclusion of all else is the only way of achieving pure enlightenment. Using this pure, calm feeling as a focus for the design at Next is a goal for this project.
Plants, water, and wood are the main materials. They not only give people a feeling of nature but also provide a moment of peace and quiet. In this project, creating water streams under the floor emphasizes pedestrian circulation. The stream also acts as a walking guide. To combine nature and technology in this design is a challenge for this project.
To achieve this goal, acoustic ceilings and wood panel walls were combined with hanging projectors to create an interactive classroom environment.