︎

Julie Kress.

Drawing. Animation. &
Speculative Architecture.

Guiding Edges

Community Center for the Sighted
Temple University 2017 - Senior Capstone Award
All.




Advisor. Seher Erdogan Ford
Context. Manayunk Venice Island
Project Type. Community Center

This building is defined by three “Guiding Edges”, along which spaces compress and expand to provide unique, identifiable experiences. The guiding edge thickens and thins according to programmatic needs (transforming into seating, shelving, and stairs), as well as to impact sensations of lightness and heaviness.

Ground Level -1 River Level





The 3 gestures are the spines of the building, from which guidelines were extracted to construct the body.

1. Entrance - The first edge provides shelving for exhibiting sculptures in the cafe space.The thick wall serves this function but also responds to comfort and stability. The second edge is thin and porous, inviting visitors into the learning spine. 2.Passage - Along the upper floor, the edge compresses occupants into a narrow passage to create a felt transition. Below, there is not a physical edge but one can sense the weight of the edge above. 3.Expansion - The first edge gives way to a wall of wind chimes. The second edge transforms into seating for the rooftop garden. 4.Transition - The wall of wind chimes leads into the musical program of the outdoor theater. The second edge splits to host a staircase,and the buildings occupants descend within the edge. The librarians desk inhabits the space below the stairs, and the edge continues to thicken to provide privacy for classrooms and office spaces.

The curving roof expands and contracts to produce identifiable feelings of lightness and compression within each space.


Program analysis. Coding the haptic qualities of the intended programs with variables of porosity, and weight, which I would later assign to architectural elements. Gestural study of connecting spine. Gestural Model





Featured Studio Work.


Ongoing Research. 


Professional.

© 2020 Julie Kress.