Education, Culture & Sports

These buildings travel between two extremes. A classroom is full in the morning and empty by evening. A stadium and its sports facilities stand quiet most days of the year, then become one of the busiest points in the city on a match day. At exhibition and event grounds the same volume is set up afresh each time. What has to be sized for is not average occupancy but those two extremes. In the crowded hour the flow all turns one way, and exit doors, turnstiles and wayfinding become the whole subject.

Between terms, and across campus distances

In schools and universities the interval when entering site is acceptable follows the academic calendar; the between-terms window is the narrow slot the work has to fit into. At campus scale the distance between buildings exceeds the distance within one, so backbone lines take an outdoor route and each building carries its own distribution point. On research campuses some laboratory doors stay closed to the rest of the campus.

In museums and historic buildings what is protected is not only people but the object itself, and the fabric of the building is as delicate as the object. Climate and vibration inside a display case are held to a narrower band than the weather outside. Stone is not chased, plaster is not marked, timber flooring is not drilled. Routes run on the surface and through existing voids, and mounting is resolved so that removing it leaves no sign behind.