Human Occupation
Spring 2018 // University of Cincinnati
Professor: Michael Rogovin
Location: Cincinnati, OH
Recognition: DAAPworks 2018 Showcase
Envisioning the future workplace is often done with optimistic imagery of digital interfaces, drone deliveries, and automated assistants. It seems as though we are too busy looking through our rose-tinted VR goggles to remember the human factor of the workplace. Modern offices have the ability to be interdisciplinary spaces for collaboration and, under the best circumstances, positively impact their communities. Human behavior is at the core of work and determines the quality of spaces we occupy.
This workplace complex exists on the boundary of two neighborhoods, Over the Rhine (OTR): a historically industrial and vibrant district home to the city’s great collection of Italianate architecture, and Clifton: a hillside populated with single-occupancy residences and the University of Cincinnati. The complex is composed of six main parts. At the base of the hill the Main House acts as a conventional office holding a majority of personnel. Rising along the hillside is a Funicular that connects to four remote pavilions and acts as a public transit opportunity for those living atop the hill looking to travel downtown. The four pavilions: Canopy, Garden, Tower, and Cave capitalize on this unconventional location to create unique environments that are sensitive to different work habits and behaviors.
Perceived as a passive approach to future-casting, the project shows what workspaces can become when considering technological advances in communication and optimization. It also means that our unwavering commitment to work can be matched with spaces that align with our values of comfort.
