The Neighborhood Bundled

Apr 20, 2020
Clemson University Project

The goal of this project was to design a community center that explored unique spatial experiences whilst maintaining a sense of connectedness within the structure. Another more personal goal for the project was to create a community center that felt truly connected to the people and the culture it would become a part of.

The main inspirations for the design are aspects of the Gullah culture, most notably, the many ways in which sweetgrass is bundled together in the process of weaving sweetgrass baskets. From the process of harvesting the grass to the actual weaving of the baskets, the grass is often bound and bundled together just as a community center should bind and bundle together the people who occupy it.

This thought process led to the walls of the structure being designed and arranged before anything else. The weaving and stacking of the walls allowing for various room sizes as well as unique balconies and atrium spaces.