Gale Opera house

[Prof. Maged Guerguis] ARCH 571: The Super Boolean Block Studio

Design Team: Shane Principe and Joe Platt

Informally known as the SUPER BOOLEAN BLOCK STUDIO, this project started with an in depth study of the concept of the boolean and its ability to impact the built environment in novel ways. The studio was structured around the development of a large opera house in the middle of Chicago. The Gale Opera House looked to the patterns of wind flow through the site to inform the boolean operations we would apply to the design. Once the rough shape of the building was generated we then produced a series of study models to experiment with pulling operations to create a form that appeared to be peeling the ground toward the sky. The the 300 seat main opera hall was then situated at the center of structure so as to be visible from all parts of the building. In addition to the main hall the project held a smaller auditorium, cafe, offices, and a large retail space.