Quiz+4

//Quiz4//

**CIRCULATION IN THE C.S.U STUDENT CENTER **

 Circulation means movement though space, and according to Ching “circulation path is conceived as the perceptual thread that links the space of a building”. In this summary I described the circulation in the //Cleveland State University Student Center and// in its surroundings. The //C.S.U. Student Center is located in Cleveland, Ohio; and it is in// front  of the main thoroughfare to downtown Cleveland, Euclid Avenue, so it is a building with a huge interaction with its surroundings.

 Horizontal circulation spaces are the areas designed for communication between different spaces where the people moves without changed of floor. The //C.S.U. Student Center horizontal circulation is determined by the shape of the building itself, the plants are disposed in form of// // “D”. The front facade have a semicircular form and the entrance is determined by an oblique approach, forcing to the users to border and recognize the form of the building; in the lateral facades the entrances are almost in the corners, moreover, they aren’t in the same axis and the entrance of the rear facade is centered. For other hand, the circulation in the plants is strongly determined by a path in form of “T” around stores, meeting rooms and voids; this path is determined by a west-east axis that converge in the middle with a north-south axis. The // path of each plant has a few differences, for example the first floor has the same internal circulation than the others and also it have in the back a ramp circula­tion that leads to a redesigned outdoor plaza, the second floor to difference from the others has an extended west-east axis where provides an interaction with the campus-wide interior walkway system, and the third floor has the same “T” circulation path than the other and in its north-south axis ends with an outdoor terrace fronting the Euclid Avenue.

 Besides a horizontal circulation, a building has a vertical circulation too; that is composed by different elements that allow spaces of communication between areas located at different levels of a building. This //Student Center has three levels, and each level has a different use; the first level// provides street level access to the atrium floor, bookstore, pub, and cyber lounge, the second level provides food court areas and the third level provides meeting rooms. The verticality of the building is recognized by the voids in forms of “D”, because you can relate with the circulation in the others levels; and also the verticality is defined by stairs that connect a floor with another; outside the building in the rear facade there is a direct entrance to the first level and also there are stairs for the people that wants involve directly with the academic use of the building. Plus inside the building there are more stairs; the emergency stairs are placed in the west corner without interfere with the horizontal circulation path, and the others stairs are right in the node that interrelates the west-east path with the north-south path.

 In my opinion this Student Center is a building well planned for circulation, its oblique approach strengthensthefacade’ s form; inside the building, the path of horizontal circulation is very directly, and also the voids and the position of stairs right in the point of converging traffic helps to guide the users to a vertical circulation. The interaction of the building with its surroundings is very interesting; the C.S.U Student Center and its lateral surroundings define a horizontal circulation pattern, and the relation of the Center with the building that is behind it inspires me a vertical circulation perspective.



media type="file" key="C.S.U Student Center_1.wmv" width="329" height="329" align="right"