Tunnel Vision was created for the 2021 Exhibition. The theme "Middle Cities" focused on the history of mid-sized cities and their relationship to the Mississippi watershed. Students identified the key elements of their design: gathering place, modern structure and the architectural history of Columbus.
The final design consisted of a geodesic tunnel constructed of steel tubing with large benches flanking each side. Triangles created by the geodesic design were filled with blue hdpe and green acrylic tiles. The blue tiles starting at the entry of the tunnel created a winding river back and forth across the dome. These tiles served as a timeline of the unique architecture in Columbus.
Each blue tile received a machined vector image of a significant structure and a QR code linking the viewer to a student developed video detailing the structures features. Each video was narrated in both English and Spanish by students. The timeline concluded with a link to a short animation of what the students perceived to be the future of Columbus.
Tunnel Vision's core design group consisted of 10-15 architecture students. These students along with an additional 40 construction technology students completed the off-site construction, transportation and installation of the project. A special thanks to Columbus based Force Construction for assisting in the transportation of the nine foot by twenty-eight foot tunnel.
At the close of the exhibition, students recycled the tubing, built picnic tables for the school courtyard out of the cedar benches, gave each of the building tiles to the identified building and donated the acrylic for future student projects.
Tunnel Vision
Dencity
The 2019 exhibit was titled "Dencity." The design consisted of 23 concrete columns of varying height. The columns were laid out radially around a solitary tree on the site. The inner most columns were the tallest, representing skyscrapers and the columns got shorter as they went outward. The message of the design was the cost of urban density to the environment.
The interior columns each contained a backlit piece of artwork laser-cut into acrylic. All of the artwork was contributed by local high school students centered around what their city meant to them.
The design team for Dencity consisted of 8-10 students in architectue. The students worked with construction students to complete the columns and with graphic design students to laser cut the artwork. The completed columns were transported to the site and then secured in place with the assistance of an equipment operator from Taylor Brothers Construction.
At the close of the exhibit, the cement board was removed from the frames and discarded. The lumber was repurposed on other student projects and the artwork was given back to the student contributors.
