Project Video:  Cal Poly Project Center

The Cal Poly Project Center is a new, on-campus facility designed for the celebration, facilitation and promotion of the college's “Learn by Doing” philosophy. Our interdisciplinary team was approached by the Industrial Engineering Department Head, the Cal Poly Machine Shop Manager, and other leading faculty of the College of Engineering to assemble a conceptual design package for their new facility. 

This Project Center would not only be equipped to facilitate the leading edge of state-of-the-art machine technology but would also be a place for donors, visitors and students alike to enjoy. We let the "edginess" of a machine shop manifest itself in the form of the building and maintained a simple kit of parts and materials that we felt embodied the essence of the program.

Site cast stained concrete "shards" protrude from the building form while crumpled planes of aluminum panel the exterior. We utilized an expansive North-facing sawtooth roof on the interior to provide for indirect light throughout the day while also maintaining the large central work floor below. The project was a favorite throughout the critiques and reviews by the panel, and fundraising is in process to move allow for further development.