Created for the University of Utah’s annual Design Build Bluff project, Cedar Hall is located next to the historic John Albert Scorup House, a historic 1890s property that, despite twelve years of effort, is unable to accommodate the multifunctional needs of the student body. The objective of the Cedar Hall project was to design a simple yet elegant flexible assembly space that could also attract the Bluff community to campus.
The 850-square-foot Cedar Hall building is clad in handsome, high-grade cedar planks coated in a marine-grade finish that wrap around the facade and the roof. “The idea was to create a portal that brings the energy of outsiders into the campus, which is why the north exterior wall is faceted with a natural plaster finish to enhance the funneling effect,” write the students. “The south face on the other end is extruded, into a trellis system. Blending with the landscape the trellis attracts visitors towards the inner workings of the campus.” Around 70% of the framing is constructed from materials reclaimed from a deconstructed house in Park City. Other salvaged materials were also upcycled into windows and furniture.
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The simple open-plan interior was designed for flexibility. Steel barn doors for a storage closet double as a magnetized pin-up space and are flanked by dry-erase marker walls. Opposite the steel bars on the west wall is a built-in shelf space that houses two large moveable partition walls that can also be used as additional writing surfaces. A custom spiral staircase built with salvaged glulam treads leads up to the roof where the PV solar panel array is located. The trellis features a water-catchment system to collect rainwater.
+ Design Build Bluff
Via ArchDaily
Images via Design Build Bluff, by Spotlight Home Tours
