{"id":54739,"date":"2019-10-02T09:45:25","date_gmt":"2019-10-02T13:45:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/?p=54739"},"modified":"2019-09-30T16:07:22","modified_gmt":"2019-09-30T20:07:22","slug":"architectural-details-soft-civic-bryony-roberts-studio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.arc.ht\/blog\/practice\/details\/architectural-details-soft-civic-bryony-roberts-studio\/","title":{"rendered":"Architectural Details: Soft Civic by Bryony Roberts Studio"},"content":{"rendered":"

Architects: Showcase your next project through Architizer<\/a> and sign up for our inspirational newsletter<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Sometimes great design requires a soft touch. No stranger to coloring outside the lines, Bryony Roberts<\/a> is known for creating elegant work that respects craft while embodying a sense of joy. The studio\u2019s latest project is no exception.<\/p>\n

Soft Civic<\/a> was designed as a response to the iconic architecture of City Hall in Columbus, Indiana. Partnering with Brooklyn-based textile workshop Powerhouse Arts<\/a> and steel fabricators Ignition Arts<\/a>, the team created a project that reimagines the building\u2019s role as the center of civic leadership in the community.<\/p>\n

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\"Soft<\/p>\n

As one of five Miller Prize installations, Soft Civic<\/em> was made as custom-fabricated structures with colorful woven surfaces to activate public spaces around City Hall\u2019s main entrance as destinations for play, performance, and participation. Bryony Roberts worked with Sadie Dempsey and Michael Hoehn to create the project and address the monumental architecture of City Hall.<\/p>\n

Their approach was to turn the building\u2019s geometry into soft, pliable structures. Enhancing the existing activity at City Hall, the new structures were made to host a series of community-driven events on the themes of democracy and leadership.<\/p>\n

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\"soft<\/p>\n

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\"Soft<\/p>\n

The City Hall building was designed by Edward Charles Bassett of SOM in 1981. The project combines the geometry of circles and triangles along a monumental stair, and the structure is known for its cantilevered steel entrance encased in brick. Soft Civic<\/em> was made to echo and break open the geometry of the building to find other circles and lines through seating structures and platforms.<\/p>\n

As the team explains, the softness of the project refers to the function of the space and its material quality. The project was realized through a collaboration that brought together the art and craft of Powerhouse with the precision and fabrication skills of Ignition Arts.<\/p>\n