College Station, TX
Completed 2006 with Omniplan
Completed 2006 with Omniplan
When Texas A&M University asked Omniplan to design the nation’s only School of Rural Public Health, there were no architectural precedents to observe. The facility’s three distinct uses: offices, classrooms, and laboratories - directed the form of the project. By creating a small, intimate grouping, Omniplan was able to set the school apart from several towering structures that surrounded the site. The result is a cohesive educational community that functions in much the same way as the rural communities it serves, with a central courtyard that serves as common ground.
Similarly sized openings on the facades of the office building react appropriately to sun exposure, windows are shortened and pulled in on the south side, with the brick ledge angling up to the window sill. Metal plates extend from the window system, acting as shading device and light shelf for illuminating the office. On the north facade, the windows fill the brick voids and extend out from the wall. Similarly, the northwest-facing facade of the laboratory building contains a series of brick ‘gills’, curved brick panels opening to the north and diffusing light into the laboratories. The gills are pulled up from the ground, allowing the brick to remain light and appear to peel away from the building more naturally.
Similarly sized openings on the facades of the office building react appropriately to sun exposure, windows are shortened and pulled in on the south side, with the brick ledge angling up to the window sill. Metal plates extend from the window system, acting as shading device and light shelf for illuminating the office. On the north facade, the windows fill the brick voids and extend out from the wall. Similarly, the northwest-facing facade of the laboratory building contains a series of brick ‘gills’, curved brick panels opening to the north and diffusing light into the laboratories. The gills are pulled up from the ground, allowing the brick to remain light and appear to peel away from the building more naturally.