san ysidro land port of entry: miller + hull

in this day and age of massive and spectacular digital output it's great to see a firm sticking to their artistic integrity.

i've been checking in with miller + hull since i started studio. a professor introduced me to their work and after seeing the correlation between his [professor] work and their [miller + hull] work i'm beginning to see some of the influence has made it's way into my hand... through a different process, but with the same aesthetics. all i can say is, woohoo.

however, i am enamored with their watercolors in addition to their works of design!

the images are from a new project for the san ysidro united status land port of entry. it will be constructed in three phases and are on target to achieve LEED platinum certification thanks to energy efficiency, water conservation strategies, and an integrated design process. more impressive is the fact that this project is the first to be open 24/7/365 to achieve this LEED status in the united states.

the site sees 20% of the border crossing traffic into the united states. 34 lanes of traffic! the complex is both a welcoming center, first impression of the country, and critical facilities for national security. craig curtis - partner at miller + hull - "this project will set a new standard for land ports of entry, not only for surpassing general service administration's sustainability goals but for enhanced processing of visitors and increased security measures." who knows, maybe border crossing could actually be an enjoyable and memorable experience - for the right reasons.

construction starts next year.... four masts rising 100 feet support a 275 foot canopy made of ethylene tetraflouroethylene - the same material that clads the national aquatics center from the 2008 beijing olympics. this means; rain and sun protection but also allows natural light to pass into the officer's booths.

thanks to a 700,000 gallon rainwater reclamation system the site will cut water consumption by over 12 million gallons annually = 100 households.... nice work out in the desert.

outlines of the future phases and more in depth information on the sustainable features can be found aqui.

UPDATE: holocaust memorial design competition

the results are in. we didn't place - unfortunately, but you can't expect too much for pulling together a submission in a few days... unless you're h.van_oudenallen. congrats and good luck!

luckily we had some interest from our fellow students that lightened the load a bit.

we held off posting our actual submission, until now. our process work can be found here. now, with the passing of time, we post our submission:

In such a small space, line, forms, and gestures are limited… What do we have then, but light, time, movement, and material? With this premise in mind, we ask ourselves not only, “what does a memorial mean, but also what does it do.”

We are not survivors of the Shoah. We don’t pretend to know the intensely personal feelings associated with the experience; we can only speculate. In a short time, little direct experiences will be left. Therefore we sought to distill the fundamental essence of a collective conscious.

We propose a place of peace, perhaps a place of discomfort, a place of reflection, a place where senses stir memories. These qualities will always be remembered, be shared, be alive, broadcasting the memory and the universal message “never again” long after the last survivor has left.

It is our hope that through simple actions we can influence profound reactions.

thanks again to all those that helped!