Kim Coleman
Associate Professor, University of Southern California School of Architecture

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Urban Architecture / Hybrid Models
This theme for the Fifth Year Comprehensive Studios taught in Spring 2004 and 2005 explores how the architecture of a public building may be used as a catalyst for place-making in an urban setting and ways in which a hybrid buildings can activate a neighborhood. Building programs of 20,000 to 40,000 square feet are developed to investigate hybrid strategies that anticipate future needs and define new solutions, creating new building typologies. The program elements for all projects contain a variety of types of spaces: large and small, introverted and extroverted. With my guidence students selected suitable urban sites. Sites along the route of the proposed Expo light rail line were encouraged in 2005. Emphasis in the studio is on design process, precedent, sustainable design, structural integration of spatial qualities, and use of materials to make a project that demonstrates a comprehensive understanding of the many-faceted qualities of design.