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1. Hilltown, Majorca, Spain

An architect always has the option of designing ina way that does or does not take advantage of a site.When buildings and their sites are designed in a waythat they take full advantage of the natural site, thenthey stand the greatest chance of longevity, and ofnourishing and sustaining us physically, spiritually,emotionally, and mentally. We can make theconnection between the building and it’s site. Thebuilding is not a stranger to the land, and in being so,permits us to be intimate with the land.

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2. Haystack Mountain School, Deer Isle, Maine Edward Larabee Barnes, 1958 - 61

3. Haystack Mountain School Site Plan

4. Chicago Botanical Garden Visitors Center Edward Larabee Barnes, 1993

Like the Hilltown in Majorca, Spain, the HaystackMountain School, designed by Edward LarabeeBarnes, is built parallel to the contours of the site.Impact on the site topography and tiring foot travel upand down the hill are minimized. Views to the horizonand down the hill are optimized. Impact on the site isalso reduced by elevating the buildings on piles, thusleaving the earth and drainage paths undisturbed.

The Chicago Botanical Garden Visitors Center, also

Ancient and indigenous peoples knew this quitewell. Sometimes a site may have been inhabited forhundreds, if not thousands of years. As a result, thesepeople were intimate with the local building materials,topography, weather, and sun conditions. Oftenbuilding materials were taken directly from the site.The act of constructing took place and evolvedcontinuously over many generations. With the recentdisintegration of indigenous cultures, however, it isoften up to the Architect to know these things well.

designed by Barnes, engages the body of water byprojecting over it. When looking over the edge of thedeck, a visitor must know that they are standing overthis body of water.

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A site is comprised of it’s climatic and topographicalconditions, and it’s social, cultural, economic, political,and architectural milieu. The proposed magnet highschool for environmental studies is located in the ruraltown of Blacksburg in the Blue Ridge Mountains ofSouthwestern Virginia. The school is intended to serveapproximately 300 students. Blacksburg is home toVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and

thus has a cosmopolitan atmosphere and a relativelysophisticated population. The population, whichincludes students, faculty, and permanent residents,fluctuates seasonally, depending on the universitycalendar.

Culturally there is much going on for a town of tenthousand permanent residents and twenty seventhousand students. In summer, there is a farmers

market, food and craft fairs, many parks, outdoorconcerts, etc. Many of these events and venues aresponsored by the university or the town. DowntownBlacksburg is comprised of quite a few historicbuildings, and a mix of more contemporary buildings,both residential and commercial.

There is a small traditional industrial base with agrowing high tech industrial base. The communities

State of Virginia Town of Blacksburg Sun School site

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surrounding Blacksburg are primarily agricultural. Thetopography is hilly with many streams and riversnearby, the New River being dominant.

The climate is temperate. Blacksburg is at anelevation of approximately 2,000 feet. Summers arewarm/hot and breezy, whereas winters are quite windyand cold. Annual precipitation is approximately 42”.

Blacksburg is serviced by the Montgomery Countyschool system. There are four elementary schools,one middle school, and one high school in town. Inaddition, there are several private schools. Thepopulation of these schools tends to be transient andinternational because of the university.For the purposes of excellent sun exposure and views,

and access to a major road, I chose a 55 acre southsloping site along the south side of Prices Fork Road,a major artery. Directly east of the site is the KippsElementary School, built in 1995. Agricultural andrural residential areas border the south and west sidesof the site.

View of site looking south from Prices Fork Road

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Sketch of site from Prices Fork Road

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A pond is developed as a primary element of thesite, and is an educational resource for the proposedschool. The school and the pond can also be used byKipps Elementary School. The pond is an outdoorextension of the laboratories and the classrooms.Students can learn about aquatic life, bird life and

migration patterns, shoreline flora, water quality, andthe effect of the sun, the weather, and the seasons onthe life of the pond. Varying bottom and shorelineconditions can be developed which support theirrespective life systems. Water is supplied to the pond

from a photovoltaic powered pump drawing water froma well. A photovoltaic powered fountain aerates andrecycles the water. The pond and well, as part of thesite, and the site as part of the Architecture, thusbecome teaching tools.

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A site with a south facing slope is chosen to take advantage ofsunlight for photovoltaics, daylighting, and passive solar heating.

Undeveloped N - S Site Section

Prices Fork Road

Kipps Elementary School

Prices Fork Road

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Prices Fork Road

Kipps Elementary School

The school and parking lot are developed on a south facingslope parallel to the contours to maximize harmony with the site.Trees and the curves of the parking lot make the walk to the schoola pleasant one. The pond is located at the natural lowpoint of the

site, and the well and stream are developed at a higher elevationat the terminus of a natural swale.

Ball fields are located at the flatest section of the site, and areoriented toward the northwest to minimize sunlight in players’ eyes.

The Town of Blacksburg Recreation Department manages andmaintains the Kipps ballfields. I am proposing that the Sun Schoolballfields be managed and maintained as a complex with theKipps fields.

Developed N - S Site Section

Prices Fork Road

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Summer breezesWinter windsSunlightViewsDrainageTraffic

Winter

Summer

Prices Fork Road

SITE ANALYSIS

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If a building and it’s site are truly integrated, thenthe site should be expressed within the building aswell as without. The slope of the site is expressed inthe Entry Spine through steps and a ramp. All who

SECTION 5 - ENTRY SPINE

enter the school must experience the slope of thesite from the interior. The Architecture teaches aboutthe site topography through this expression.The pond is visible from the Entry, while natural light

enters the space from the vaulted skylight above. Inthis interior place students are aware of the groundbeneath them, and the sky above.

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