d+a | Issue 128 • 2023

19 section perspective L’Heureux’s works, cuts off thermal heat gain. “The panels, which we call ‘butterflies’, open up more below the tree canopy [outside the windows]. Above the tree canopy, they are denser. The inverted gable allows daylight to pass through while the gradient helps cut glare as well as gives a sense of uniformity and modesty to the building,” L’Heureux explicates. Light shelves integrated into the structure bounce daylight deep into the studio spaces through clerestory windows positioned along an inner window wall. “There was a real intent that each design element was to be a teachable moment,” L’Heureux adds on the considered detailing that extends to components as minute as faceted anchorage details for handrails. This ‘folding’ language is mirrored in the new drop-off canopy, and becomes a leitmotif that gives SDE1 and 3 a unique identity. Clearer way finding of the entrance into the architecture school and connectivity between studios of different years that were segregated by levels were other vital agendas. A deep portal on the first storey established the formal entry, while inside, the studios were recessed to create review and exhibition areas at the fore. The latter are experienced through a new atrium formed from cutting through three storeys of floor slabs. A new staircase tunnels up this void as a conduit of activity and communication.