Established in 1864, Gallaudet University is the world’s only liberal arts university in which all programmes and services are designed to accommodate deaf and hard of hearing students. Hall McKnight’s vision was described as offering an accomplished approach, combining poetic qualities with a deep sense of what Gallaudet is, and should be. The winner's approach proceeded from reflections on “meeting, communing, engaging” – the foundations of human communication – and proposed dynamic new spaces, both within the University and between the campus and the city. Hall McKnight sought to create a building that would endure and develop, acting as a “vessel” to be filled with the experiences of its occupants.
The project will feature “DeafSpace” design principles, which are based on the knowledge that the built environment, largely constructed by and for hearing individuals, presents a variety of challenges to which deaf people have responded with a particular way of altering their surroundings to fit their unique ways-of-being. Examples of DeafSpace design elements can be found on the Gallaudet campus in several buildings. This project is the first time these design principles will be incorporated into a public space off the Gallaudet campus.
The runner-up practices were Kennedy & Violich Architecture, Marvel Architects, and MASS Design Group.
The project will feature “DeafSpace” design principles, which are based on the knowledge that the built environment, largely constructed by and for hearing individuals, presents a variety of challenges to which deaf people have responded with a particular way of altering their surroundings to fit their unique ways-of-being. Examples of DeafSpace design elements can be found on the Gallaudet campus in several buildings. This project is the first time these design principles will be incorporated into a public space off the Gallaudet campus.
The runner-up practices were Kennedy & Violich Architecture, Marvel Architects, and MASS Design Group.
