Rachel Broek, Rhode Island School of Design
Submission 0152
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The in-between
The plaza provides a place for the public and the arts to collide. At the BCA there is an opportunity for the people to be brought in and the arts to come out and where the two sides meet, an edge is formed. The BCA stands firm in its place, while the translucent layers of surface reflect the constant movement and interchange among the people. The layers bring an atmosphere of varying translucence. These floating surfaces create opportunity for seating along the edge, self contained lighting, and shading from a tensile fabric structure above.
Juror's comments
Gary Hilderbrand
It's a strong provocative idea that you would float a canopy over the entire plaza space and still retain the possibility of the through-sidewalk in front of the buildings. I think that we came back to it again and again because it is such a contrast to a lot of the schemes that are really overly complicated.
Ann McQueen
For me the transparency of the canopy was really compelling because you have a rather large object but it dematerializes as it defines the space.
Toshiko Mori
It's evocative. I think that we all responded to the simplicity of it and the materiality of it. It is translucent as opposed to something hard and solid. It also has a presence as an urban stage. We can read into it; that's why we like it. It's so vague.