In a randomized group of 6 students, we were given 3 days to design, engineer plan, render, and present the final pin up to a panel of industry experts. One of my favorite aspects about this competition was that this was my second week ever at UF, and I jumped right in with complete strangers and made life-long friendships, connections, and gained tons of experience of how different concentrations come together for a final product.
The objective for the competition was to redesign the University of Florida's historic Florida Gymnasium to refresh and accommodate more classrooms for the Health and Human Performance school, while preserving the original gym floor. A place that once hosted historical figures like JFK, Elton John, The Beach Boys and many more influential figures is currently being used as classrooms and the current design was claustrophobic, dated, and very confusing for students to navigate
Some key elements of our design was incorporating daylighting, a central atrium that can be used as a flex space, community spaces for students to collaborate, explicit wayfinding, LEED certifications, a comprehensive construction schedule, updated high-efficiency HVAC systems, and a donor wall with a custom glass panel over a single original gym floorboard which is arranged in a refined tessallation around the atrium echoing the legacy of that floor.
