Michelle Perez
Glendale Community College
Professor: Paul Chiu
The design concept of the Steel Innovation Center is to reunite the site back to the city fabric with neighborhood engagement, a solidly built modular system with integrated sustainable solutions aiming to promote this facility as a destination for the new Mural Mile, energy-saving strategies, and leisure activities.
The Steel Innovation Center is not just a building but a community project. We have prioritized neighborhood engagement, developing a master plan that reunites the site with the city and defines the private and public access to the building design. This emphasis on community involvement ensures that the project is not just about the building but about the people it serves
The solidly built modular system comprises four types of steel modules, which together demonstrate each module’s functions.
The Integrated sustainable solutions consist of five elements: The primary building material, the photovoltaic modular panels on the pitched Roof facing South, the Skylight on the pitched Roof facing North, the louver panel façade of the building, and the rainwater collection and recycling treatment.
By promoting this facility as a destination, the designated guest tour circulation inside the building promotes energy-saving strategies, sharing knowledge and best practices to prepare people for global practice. Then, bring the neighborhood from the city to the shoreline walk to experience the new mural mile and leisure activities with the majestic view of the Mississippi River.
St.Louis Boardwalk
The project is to design a Steel Innovation Center on a unique site location in downtown St. Louis, MO. The current site, with its deserted atmosphere, is like an orphan, detached from the St. Louis Gateway Arch tourist attraction and the urban texture. However, it also boasts a unique view of the Mural Mile and the majestic Mississippi River, which are unattractive to visitors or connected to pedestrians. The site is part of the Construction Innovation District & Master Development, located south of the Gateway Arch. Program spaces include exhibition, fabrication, training, and community outreach.
Concept:
The design concept of the Steel Innovation Center is to reunite the site back to the city fabric with neighborhood engagement, a solidly built modular system with integrated sustainable solutions aiming to promote this facility as a destination for the new Mural Mile, energy-saving strategies, and leisure activities with the majestic view of the Mississippi River.
Neighborhood Engagement:
The Steel Innovation Center is not just a building, but a community project. We have prioritized neighborhood engagement, developing a master plan that reunites the site with the city and defines the private and public access to the building design. This emphasis on community involvement ensures that the project is not just about the building, but about the people it serves.
The master plan’s strategy is to continue the existing urban pedestrian access grid by passing through the open arch under the railroad bridge to the site and keeping it connected to a proposed elevated Mural Mile Shorewalk shoreline promenade experience as a destination node. This would maximize the site’s advantages for visitors and locals to view the Mississippi River, especially during the Independence Day celebration. It echoes the idea of the Gateway Arch tourist attraction.
The Steel Innovation Center is a destination for artisans, artists, and visitors to learn and marvel at the facility. The private and public access of the center is divided horizontally by the elevated Mural Mile Shorewalk. The ground level is a private program that only provides personal access to the Steel Innovation Center. The center’s upper level is the public program accessed by the visitor’s tour of the building and visitors on the elevated Mural Mile Shorewalk. During the special event at the River, the shore walk will transform itself with seating and light shows for visitors to enjoy. With the help of the mirror pool reflection effect, the lighting features at the shore walk will add a unique specular light show.
Architecture, Engineering, and Construction Industry:
The solidly built modular system comprises four types of steel modules, which together demonstrate each module’s functions. The staircase and elevator entrance modules, the Shorewalk cantilever modules, the building center modules, and the connecting platform modules are also included.
The Integrated sustainable solutions consist of five elements: The primary building material, the photovoltaic modular panels on the pitched Roof facing South, the Skylight on the pitched Roof facing North, the louver panel façade of the building, and the rainwater collection and recycling treatment
The primary structural material of the project is structural steel. Structural steel contains at least 93% recycled content and is 100% recyclable. Decommissioned bridges and buildings can recycled back to the supply chain and become steel again for generations.
The proper orientation of the building with the maximum building façade south is the best for a passive solar design. However, the site is rectangular and has the shortest size facing north and south. To overcome this disadvantage, the building is aligned with the St. Louis Gateway Arch to form a visual connection to the existing urban development, and aligned to the South, the roof to generate multiple-pitched roof surfaces facing South with photovoltaic modular panels installed perpendicular to the summer sun angle to capture solar energy. The opposite sides of the multiple-pitched roof surfaces face North with a skylight to reduce energy consumption during the daytime. The façade of the building has louver panels to provide cross-air ventilation and ambient natural light. The valleys between the pitched roofs are the rainwater collection devices for the water filtration system in the building to supply water usage throughout the building.
Local and Global Impact:
In conclusion, by promoting this facility as a destination, the designated guest tour circulation inside the building promotes energy-saving strategies, sharing knowledge and best practices to prepare people for global practice. Then, bring the neighborhood from the city to the shoreline walk to experience the new mural mile and leisure activities with the majestic view of the Mississippi River.
