From the study of field conditions, a Bas Relief was created as the plinth for the new school of architecture. Curves from the study generated an organizational strategy, where folded surfaces began to enclose spaces.

Adjacent to the African American Advisory Alliance is a sunken courtyard that acts both as an entrance to the school and as a host for public activities. The courtyard is available for outdoor activities and the lower lobby offers itself as an extension for indoor gatherings. A gallery cantilevers above this space, protecting visitors from intense sunlight and rain. Across the plinth resides a work-focused courtyard, where students can access the fabrication lab and model shop. The spacious environment offers locations for students to work outside of the classroom, shielded by an extended lecture hall that shades the area.

Both halves of the plinth converge together at the double-heighted lobby located in the center of the site. This extended height presents a greater invitation to people entering from all points, encouraging interaction between students, faculty, and visitors. Curves previously used in the bas relief study are similarly used to organize spaces within the tower, creating folded curtain walls that cut through several floors. Several atriums result outside of the studio region due to these walls, creating unique spaces of circulation and activity.

Inspired by the Perot Museum, the tower’s facade is made up of modular panels that fold outward to allow natural lighting within the building. The solid surfaces contrast with glazing through levels of depth, which regulates daylight and reinforces the language of subtraction within the site. Perforations through these pan els concentrate around programs that benefit from additional lighting. In contrast, the lower northern facade remains more opaque to act as a shield from the train lines just ahead, which are the largest source of sound in the vicinity.

While intended to host architecture classes and programs, the school offers itself as a medium for all types of public activities. Intersecting programs and fluid spaces available to the public establishes the campus as a haven for Downtown Pomona.