source: arch2o

With all the questions being asked within this project – public verses private, horizontal movement verses vertical, ground verses air, typical verses abstract form – one of the hardest questions was probably how to tie all these elements together. Dominic Peternel and Stephen Coorlas’ solution to this timeless question of how to clad a building was answered by creating a pattern to envelop the contradictive personalities of the structure. The pillowing or gator skinned exterior morphs along with the building, highlighting the cuts made in the initial structure, and following the curves and lines of the building. The way the textured skin changes to adapt to the movement of the form of the building is fitting, where the subtle variations help to differentiate each program area, while still keeping its uniformity to express the continuity of the building as a whole..
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
source: architecture-view

Gator Boots was designed by Dominic Peternel and Stephen Coorlas in Paul Preissner’s studio High Contrast at the University of Illinois, Chicago.

The studio focused its efforts on blending shape and form in order to create a newly identifiable visual type and also looked to rearrange visual expectations resulting in the growth and creation of new audiences.

Transitions and uniformities are explored in this characterized architecture. Gator Boots strives to achieve the perfect blend of typical building shape and atypical geometric form.

These gestures respond to sequenced interior programming, which follow a Ground Public Extend versus Vertical Private Contract format. A uniform facade pattern was used to envelop its morphing and contrastive personalities.