Knox College

The project for these courtyards of Knox College, located at the University of Toronto in Canada, began like any other.  The goal was to simply redesign the courtyard spaces, within the existing gothic college and loggia.  There was also an added element of creating a new enclosure for the west end.  Yet, this project quickly evolved into a semester of incredible growth and process.  

The initial phase of this unique design project required the extensive study of a classical enclosed space of architecture.  The piece that I chose was the New Sacristy of San Lorenzo, located in Florence, Italy.  The artistic chamber was masterfully designed by the great Michelangelo, and stands as a physical manifestation of hierarchy and order.

A new study was launched into another precedent, this time, a gothic one.  Vladislav Hall, located in the Czech Republic, has a complex geometric pattern molded on its ceiling.  Intense work was taken to uncover the pattern, in addition to understanding the way the gothic arches create the enclosure.  However, to further comprehend the entire precedent, a distortion of the space was required.  I decided to emphasize the intense perspective of the hall by narrowing the end of the space.  Simultaneously, I raised the narrowed end of the distortion to create a unique and interesting enclosure.

The final stage of these extensive studies was to build numerous hanging models, and review them upside down, to gain even more knowledge about creating enclosures.  After coming this far in the process, growth felt like a fitting source of inspiration.  The hanging model designed was a triangular plate suspended by a single string that branched out from its source into many more, much like the growth of a tree.   The ultimate challenge was to now take these numerous and complex pieces of the initial design process, and apply them back to the courtyards of Knox College.

​The project took shape by combining everything studied up to this point.  The main facade and gazebo of the southern courtyard were born from the classical inspiration.  The geometric pattern and distortion of the gothic precedent was morphed with the branching tree, hanging model to develop the enclosure of the northern courtyard.

This enclosure creates a modern architectural forest for the students to enjoy, and an experience they won't soon forget.  
​The end result is a design that is entirely unique in its process, architecture, and growth.

Spring 2016  |  Prof. Victor Deupi