Student Work
1∕9
Title
Trӓdfabrik (Tree Factory)
Project Description
When confronted with designing an arboretum in dialogue with an existing Carnegie-era library in Fair Haven, CT, the immediate challenge was negotiating between these seemingly opposing spaces. If an arboretum is a living archive of tree species, then a library is akin to a mausoleum.
The approach was to encapsulate the existing masonry library in a productive, translucent skin that would mediate between the interior and exterior, providing an indoor growing environment large enough for trees. With the arboretum living under the same roof as the library, visitors would have the opportunity to gracefully transition between a library and a forest all year around.
In order to achieve acceptable climatic conditions for both humans and trees, the proposed double-skin facade composed of operable channel glass panels and horizontal polycarbonate louvers, allows for optimal thermal performance in both summer and winter conditions without compromising on the even distribution of light within the structure. In conjunction with the proposed saw-tooth roof, which collects cool rainwater and siphons it towards the forest floor, the facade takes advantage of this accentuated temperature gradient in order to passively moderate heat and humidity.
This project took inspiration from the Swedish “naturhus” typology and early modern industrial architecture.