A Think Tank: Institute for Borders and Boundaries

Software used:  Goggle Earth, Rhino 3D, Autodesk Revit, Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign.

The Institute is a think tank and like most think tanks a public service whose purpose is to benefit the greater good as a site for research, exhibitions, community involvement and the free and open exchange of original ideas. Its mission is to enhance the well-being of the community by facilitating cooperative thought and creatively reaching beyond preconceived ideas about the boundaries and limitations traditionally imposed by society.

This project is about Connection, Protection and the Re-Evaluation of our Built Barriers & Boundaries. Based on the belief that Architecture is a mediator between man and nature. As architects and designers we are in a unique position to be proponents and advocates of a mentality shift; a shift in both thinking and doing, to allow a greater number of people access to green spaces within the built urban environment.

All design decisions were driven on the principles of Biophilic design, one that not only incorporates ethics of Green Building, but goes further by recognizing that true sustainability must also include quality-of-life issues involving the user’s physiological and psychological health and well-being. Biophilic design is based on biophilia, an idea that stems from the hypothesis that states that all humans have an instinctive bond with nature and all other living systems. “The  connections that humans subconsciously seek with the rest of life” – E. O. Wilson