WEST BANK ART CENTER - DAVID CHIPPERFIELD ARCHITECTS

I entered the West Bank Art Center project during the schematic design phase, and was tasked to work on atrium skylights as well as the design of the main stairwell and its handrails. I worked with the project architect to define the atmosphere of the main stairwell using frosted glass panels to create soft, diffused light.

Given the constraints of a minimalistic style with concrete and steel, I researched and tested multiple materials and handrail styles, arriving at the design of stainless steel handrails installed within indentations carved into the concrete walls of the stairwell. This simplistic style of creating handrails via subtraction added to the minimalistic qualities of the stairwell as a whole, inducing pleasant feeling to both sight and touch for individuals who enter the space.

When the project progressed into the design development phase, I continued to dedicate a large amount of time for the detailing of the main stairwell. I worked on the design of the primary loadbearing structure as well as the enclosure of the main stairwell, drafting sectional drawings with AutoCAD. With the office’s strong emphasis on a clean, minimalistic design, I was also tasked to design the dimension, placement, and concealment of fire curtains in the main stairwell, and successfully designed a completely concealed fire curtain system that still met standard building codes in Shanghai.

In conjunction with the section drawing, I also drafted the detailed floorplans for all levels of the main stairwell. This included the design of MEP spaces adjoining the stairwell, as well as the sizing and placement of elevators. After successive revisions of redlines for all plan and section drawings, the 100% DD drawings were eventually completed and successfully submitted on time.