Princeton Civic Center
Design
2021Princeton University
Studio Fall 2021
Professor: Cameron Wu
Princeton, NJ
How can the role of government be reflected in its architecture? Princeton’s Town Hall, previously dispersed buildings around town, is newly imagined at the center of the town square, right between the library and downtown Inn.
The structure represents a tectonic ‘shift’ between two monolithic forms, with the main town hall residing in the apex and overlooking the plaza below. The shift formally allowed an undulation between public and private programs off-shooting from the public ramp: tax offices, engineering services, court proceedings and and municipal meeting spaces. Conceptually, it represented the fragility of the system which is often publicly inaccessible.
In the diagram, the ramp hugs the perimeter driving the inner section, and creating a system of modular floor levels. The double facade allows for a liminal space, which is punctured by underneath corridors that let in light.