THE VISTA HOUSEWhat makes a building feel comforting?
The Vista House takes a look at the idea of how to create homely spaces in an educational building in order to encourage interconnection and social learning.
The idea of home.
The Vista House focuses on two aspects of interconnection that NJIT needs to improve on: human connection and a sense of belonging. Incorporating domestic qualities to spaces can help people feel more connected to a building. Domesticity is emphasized through the furniture and exterior of the building, including the use of exposed CLT walls and gable roofs, which invoke a home-like feeling to the architecture.
Fostering creativity.
Situated by the architecture and design school, this building’s pedagogy also plays on the idea of social learning and observation. This is especially important for design students at a polytechnic school, as it helps stimulate their creativity and motivation.
See, Learn, Do.
The main concepts of social learning - seeing, learning, doing - are used as inspiration to create the three main space, with each space’s program having a focus on each idea. Observation is further enforced through verticality, which is shown through mezzanines and openings in floors to look down below.