Prentice, Ava

Be reliable and considerate towards others and their time. Reliability forges deeper relationships, and relationships are built on trust. Consistency is important. Be conscientious and moral in all decisions. It is important to do the right thing always, even when no one is looking. Be content and tranquil in life. Contentment will lead to physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing. Be kind and thoughtful towards humans, animals, and the environments from which they come. Be imaginative and courageous in my pursuits. Become a better problem solver and develop self-awareness through experimentation and self expression. Engage with the world without judgement.

Cultural Activity Center of Beijing Guang’anmennei Community

The Cultural Activity Center of Beijing Guang’anmennei Community was designed by MAT Office and completed in 2020. The cultural center comprises the ground floor and basement of the Huaxing Building, which provides its own set of challenges, namely a dense bream frame and a lack of existing connectivity between the two floors. The space was divided into twelve individual focuses that relied on sharing and a low-cost objective. The ground floor was oriented as the community cultural space due to its larger open area, and the basement was adapted as an entertainment space for the local community because of its flexible unit sizes. Geometries and ceiling elements were used to connect both levels, and the emergency staircases were treated as a unique element that built tonal and visual continuity between both levels. As the culture and serving center, the ground floor contains a residence committee, a small theatre, exhibition space and a small library.

What is the space of your desires?

I chose to highlight and alter my axonometric drawing of ULISSEIA, an adaptive reuse project by Atelier JQTS transformed into a co-living space and exhibition and event center. I associated this axonometric with self-awareness. The design of the exhibition and event space cleverly hides the living spaces, and users must be aware of its existence to access it. To all others, the doors look like wall panels and nothing more. I added a circular bench in the largest circular exhibition space for visitors to sit and appreciate the art around them in any direction. There is an opening to access the middle of the space still for any reason, including possible sculptural exhibitions.

CONSCIENTIOUS CONSIDERATE IMAGINITIVE SELF-AWARE PERCEPTIVE THOUGHTFUL KIND CREATIVE CONTEMPLATIVE