The year is 2040. Voting numbers across the US have plummeted, and state capitals have been asked to respond. Election Day has been moved to July 4, and Des Moines is now required to build a dedicated convention center and election hub that celebrates the spirit of elections in an effort to get voters back to the polls.
This project takes a stance against the oppressive Beaux-Arts language of governmental architecture and counters the city beautiful movement made by the Polk County Courthouse and Court Avenue with a movement of its own. The main building obstructs Court Ave's view of the Courthouse, creating a new viewshed that better supports the residents of Des Moines.
Rather than standing over the people of Court Ave, this new symbol of government embraces them; the election hub is an archaic agora of structures that invites people into this previously idle block in the heart of Des Moines, celebrating Election Day and bringing a newfound excitement to the voting process.
Governmental architecture is known for what we can call phenomenal transparency: an illusion built into the skin of a building that makes it seem as if there are multiple perceivable spatial concepts happening at once. A similar critique can possibly be made about the state of the US government in 2040.
What we need in government architecture, and in the government as a whole, is literal transparency. This project takes a government building and turns it inside-out; you see the structure first, absent of anything ornate, detailed, or delicate around it. You look through to see the wall systems and ventilation systems completely exposed, with the brick facades visually crumbling away.
The transparent buildings on the site represent a transparent new age of voting.
The driving forces behind the project are all community-based. First, the overall massing decision was taken from the archaic agora of Ancient Greece. The agora was the most public area of the city, home to speeches, markets, trades, and more. Second, the decision to occupy Court Avenue allows the site to connect with the nearby Des Moines Farmers' Market. The intention is, in fact, that the outdoor areas between the buildings on-site can host market stands, and the main building can host a winter market. Finally, the literal transparency allows for all people to have access to all of these spaces, whether that be visual or physical.
ARCH 4010 Studio | Instructor: Andrew Gleeson | Collaborator: Aaron Daniel