Zimple Street, Tulane University, New Orleans

This project was shaped by irresolvable issues I had with the program set forth and the site chosen. Firstly, I loved the site, as part of the old Newcomb campus and with its canopy of oaks, it is a memento of something lost that should be regained. John Desmond’s chapel (dismissed by the other students and the critics) had already set a precedent for respecting the quad. Secondly, I disagreed with the program, Performing Arts Archive basically meant library with less books, and looking at the under-utilization of the existing study spaces on campus, I didn’t see an urgent need.
Thus I proposed a two part solution. I proposed that the display portions of the library be accommodated on the quad in an earth sheltered structure while the bulk of the program would be deployed as in-fill on the bare back of the McWilliams performing arts complex. That portion was designed like an inverted metro station with the idea that it would take the same amount of time for a commuter student to be transported through and pick up a print or book as it would to walk past. 
By separating the present-day commuter student culture from the earlier academic tradition, an appeal is made to the students rushing to their classes to rejoin the quiet discussions - the idealized tradition that the newly preserved Newcomb quad represents.