PAYETTE Featured in 2019 AIA SAR Design Awards

We are pleased to announce Yin Xia was recognized with a Merit Student Award by The American Institute of Architects, South Atlantic Region (AIA SAR) at a ceremony held on April 14 during the Aspire Experience Conference in Asheville, North Carolina. The AIA SAR has a long-standing tradition of recognizing a broad range of architectural activity that exemplifies the values of the South Atlantic Region and improves the quality of the built environment in the communities we serve. The SAR Design Awards program seeks to highlight the diverse range of project types that exist within the region. The AIA believes that awards programs should be carefully structured so that the selection and recognition of honorees elevates the general quality of architectural practice, establishes a standard of excellence against which all architects can measure performance, and informs the public of the importance of design.

PAYETTE Designer Yin Xia and Jiayi Shen’s (Clark Nexsen) winning project demonstrates how a new typology of student apartments and site strategy can encourage communication and socialization while maximizing the potential of the site. Learn more about the winning project below.

Between the Blocks

The ongoing redevelopment of the Douthit Hills area on Clemson University’s campus anticipates a significant increase in housing options for 300 graduate students who will be distributed into about 200 residential units.

TYPOLOGY

To encourage students to get out of their bedrooms and socialize, more shared spaces with social functions such as lounge, informal meeting room, gathering spaces are part of the program.

Compared with concentrated shared space for all the students, an idea of distributed shared spaces which serve several groups of students will enhance the efficiency, privacy and living-quality. As a core of the community, a central hub is added to connect all the groups of students together.

An appropriate number of students in a group is approximately 30 which is a typical class/studio size at Clemson, who will be accommodated as one neighborhood. A courtyard is introduced into this neighborhood and is wrapped by apartments. Inclined roofs introduce more sunlight into the courtyard, giving each unit a good view of nature.

Four neighborhoods aggregate and create a public street and a central square. All the shared spaces (e.g. lounges, meeting rooms) are located around this square.|

SITE

The existing landscape includes two creeks surrounded by clusters of tall pines. The site strategy involves maintaining the existing landscape as much as possible. Creeks and woods are untouchable areas. All the neighborhoods scatter between these landscapes. A community hub offering fitness, catering, daycare and communication spaces is sited at the center of the complex.

Trails spread into the beautiful landscapes around the site, linking the existing apartments and north park with the site. The curved trails inform the curving form of the adjacent neighborhood apartment cluster.

Congratulations to Yin and all the other winners selected for the 2019 AIA SAR Design Awards!