nc aia hq
morgan street. raleigh, nc.
{academic}
The treasure of this project was located on the existing site. The site was home to a historical landmark, Raleigh North Carolina’s first water tower. The 85-foot tall tower is significant for dawning the first local municipal water service as well as providing the citizens of the capital city with water for 37 years, at which point the needs of the population exceeded the tower’s capacity. The tower had a history of adaptive reuse and this design seeks to preserve this tradition. The tower has been an icon for the American Institute of Architects organization since 1938. A goal of the new design is to create a more distinct connection to the downtown community. Visitors enter the north end of the site, walk along the east edge and cross the threshold of the building into the tower. The entry path then continues on ground level through a glass corridor into a glass enclosed gallery space. The intent of this transparent volume is to suggest that only the tower supports the building. Structurally the functional core located within the glass gallery volume allows the building to “float” above the street’s edge.On the street side the headquarters accomodates the gift shop and the conference room while the opposite portion of the building contains offices. Circulation throughout all of the floors including the roof garden is made possible by stairs that spiral around the interior of the open tower.