Nexus: the Dix Park library takes the existing site conditions, topographic advantages, climatic advantages and disadvantages, and local community issues into account to propose a vibrant and sustainable public library space in the Dix Park using the body-and-mind dynamics concept.

As a beginning studio of the Graduate School, ‘Architectural Design: Professional Studio’ focuses on teaching newly admitted Masters of Architecture students the basics of architecture professional practice, including, but not limited to- pre-design studies, schematic design, code analysis, energy analysis, and so on.

Dr. Jianxin Hu presented us with an opportunity to design a public library at Dorothea Dix Park, Raleigh, NC- which will serve as a community resource for the masterplan proposal of the park.







project info type
group 
academic 

group members
miraz reza
fatin nafi

level | studio | duration
Graduate | Fall 2024 | 14 weeks
role
concept development
diagrammatic expression
BIM modeling
visualization and animation
energy analysis
sustainability integration
site
dorothea dix park, raleigh, NC

area
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course instructor
Dr. Jianxin Hu, Associate Professor








software RevitSketchupEnscapePhotoshop
Illustrator
After-Effects
Premiere Pro
PolyCam
Gemini AI (render enhancement)



site

 
site in connectivity context
site in proximity context
sunpath diagram



schemes
scheme 1
miraz reza

the scheme takes the existing site context of the chapel as spirit and the office building as the body and combines both.



scheme 2
fatin nafi

the scheme takes the existing site topography advantage and emphasises the view towards downtown raleigh.


scheme selection and concept

Based on our scheme assessment and reviewer feedbacks, we decided to move forward with scheme 2, and combined the ideas from scheme 1.
community space idea
site parti diagram
five design principals
form extraction logic



drawings




details




systems
1. shear walls
2. metal column sections
3. girder beams
4. steel joists
5. hvac systems: ghsp + rooftop ahu
6. integrated systems




renders and animation


although revit has enscape plugin, to create more vibrant visualizations, we exported the model to SketchUp, since Enscape-Sketchup workflow is faster and smoother. The exported raw images were then post-processed in photoshop, and to get professional quality images, we used Gemini Pro to enhance. A few images were then processes again in photoshop to maintain the human artistic touch.



view from east
approach view from north-west corner
celebration of the city’s achievement
feature stair at the atrium
adult section
children section



sustainability