Worms Eye Axon
An Analysis of FAU São Paulo
The building that houses the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism at the University of Sao Paulo, FAU Sao Paulo, creates an open community, under one roof, for those who use it. The deceivingly light structure is arranged in a strictly rational manner, with columns falling along a specific set grid, which in turn orders the skylights up above. This rational and precise arrangement is thus broken through the interior arrangements of space. The insertion of floors and ramps, allowing for connective and collective utility and circulation, interfere with the rationality created through structure, so much so that inside the logistical layout of intended space is lost.
These strict and logical structural proportions drove the heightened analysis of the building. Grid and proportion lines were derived from the structural arrangements, informing the logical proportioning of space. An in depth analysis of all 1,056 concrete skylights, drove a study of the perforation of structure and its effect on the internal space created from the controlled allocation of natural light and how it enters the buildings.
Exploded Axon
Exploded Elements
Skylight Study 01
Skylight Study 02
Understanding Gridded Complexity
Gridded Relationships and Proportions | Distinguishing Complexity