The New Library
Washington, DC
2007
Fitting in-between existing retail buildings in the Chinatown district of Washington, DC, this “new library” was required to accomodate a variety of activities aside from traditional book-browsing, including a media library, theater, auditorium and cafeteria. Embracing multiple notions of public vs. private, form vs. function, and large-scale vs. small-scale, each level accomodates different functions, identifiable via different colors. A monumental, transparent entry space houses an equally monumental statue piece, and from this lobby one can easily observe the layout of the library.
Bayside Museum
2006
The task for this project was to design a large outdoor garden space, as well as two museums, one to house modern art, and one tradtional, on a site hosting the remains of an abandoned factory whose infrastructure was to be left mosty intact. Heavily influencing the design of the entire scheme is the juxtaposition of symmetry vs. imbalance.
Alumni Student Center, Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD
2008
Speaking to the existing language of its site at Johns Hopkins University, this Alumni Student Center was to exist harmoniously with the existing campus, as well as newly proposed classroom buildings that were an earlier part of the project. Drawing on relationships with both, the four-story structure’s key element is its central vertical shaft that breaks through each level, blatantly calling attention to the hall of fame it houses.
Solar Living Pavilion
Seattle, WA
2007
Using challenging given dimensions, this residential unit was to accomodate four students while responding to the particular weather conditions of Seattle. A shared bedroom on the upper floor essentially floats above the kitchen and living space below. Four private cubbies are situated beside a large glass panel which can either be shaded for privacy or kept open to offer views out through exterior glazing.
Town Hall
Denton, MD
2007
This new town hall for Denton, MD was meant to cater to the area’s existing architecture and feel of the town while providing various office spaces, a café, and a councilroom. Taking a unique interpretation of how a councilroom might function, a centered axis divides the room into two halves that face each other, as influenced by certain traditional churches.
Film School Facade
Baltimore, MD
2007
Using the facade, the design challenge was to create a suitable transition between two existing buildings in Baltimore, MD. The concept, simply put, was the notion that form follows function. Once the decision was made to make the building a film school with lower-level classrooms and upper-level living quarters, a visible distinction between the two was necessary. Double red doors mark an entrance to the living quarters above, while a smaller door leads to low-light classrooms.
15th & U
Washington, DC
2007
This residential complex in downtown Washington, DC, on one side facing bustling traffic and the other a peaceful courtyard, was to accomodate varying apartment sizes and retail space as suitable for the ground level. Taking an ambiguous approach to its corner site, it both celebrates this with a corner entrance that subtly locks both blocks of the building together, and ignores it by treating both parts as separate elements that seemingly sit side-by-side, each with its own central vertical circulation.
Gordon Griffin Portfolio 