This module of the Architectural Technology sequence requires students to dissect an existing building to the level of detail of construction documents, in order to understand architecture at all scales of design and to analyze the integration of building systems relative to one another and to the larger conceptual framework conceived of by the architect.

My group analyzed the North Carolina Museum of Art by Thomas Phifer and Partners Architects, a meticulously detailed art museum known for its highly-engineered daylighting system of fiberglass coffers, UV filters and skylights with shading louvers. Beyond the success of this lighting feature, the building is a highly-controlled exercise in modularity, grids, structural/mechanical integration, materiality and adaptable gallery space.

Our investigation focused on identifying the integration between the building’s enclosure, mechanical, structural and environmental systems.