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

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Santa Monica Arts/Mediatheque
Possibilities of plug-and-play architecture were explored in the design of a community arts building/mediatheque that offers a range of activities including after school programs, arts programs, exhibition spaces, performance space, a multi media institute and a media library. This fall, 2004 Topic Studio emphasized issues of urban context, architectural language, program, tectonics, and sustainable design. Sited adjacent to a proposed light rail stop near the arts complex of Bergamot Station, the project is intended to engage and celebrate the arts and technology. Proposed development in Santa Monica’s media/technology corridor includes a new bicycle path and the Expo light rail line connecting Downtown Los Angeles with the Pacific Ocean. The former industrial zone is densifying to include commercial, retail, and housing projects. Establishment of community facilities is a priority of public and nonprofit agencies supportive of the area’s creative energy and educational possibilities.

The studio focused on the following:
1. Differentiation of design attitude between an environmentally appropriate skin or shell and a flexible, expandable interior that may incorporate storage and modifications over time,
2. Connections between inside to outside,
3. The arts and technology as overlay concepts for developing design a strategy,
4. Emphasis on design process, structured according to a sequence that begins with abstract studies and proceeds to more concrete considerations.