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Virginia Tech

Alexandria University: an updated public learning institution and urban civic plaza

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

This project can be described in terms of the three main elements it explores: the relationship between the building and its context, the use of the structural system as an integral part of the architectural language and finally, the degree to which a building can be both specific and flexible programmatically. The boundaries between the urban design and architecture are blurred. The design of the larger urban environment preceded the design of the building. The building itself functions as a progression of public spaces decreasing in scale, as we move inwardly from the atrium. The structure plays a critical role in the project, not just because it helps organize the building; but also because it becomes a major thematic element. This is particularly evident in the atrium, where the architecture adopts a sculptural tone. Flexibility to accommodate change has become a fundamental programmatic requirement of contemporary institutions. The design of the buildings that houses them struggles to accommodate this need while at the same time developing an identity. The project attempts to reconcile this apparent contradiction.

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Master of Architecture
Level thesis:degree_level
masters
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Architecture
Department dc:contributor.department
Architecture
Grantor dc:publisher
Virginia Tech
Year dc:date.issued
1992

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Bellido, Enrique
Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember
  • Holt, Jaan
  • Hunt, Gregory K.
  • Piedmont-Palladino, Susan C.

Subjects

dc:subject × 1

Rights

dc:rights
Statement dc:rights
  • In Copyright
Language dc:language.iso
en

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Dc Identifier Other
etd-10202005-123715
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/45214

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Virginia Tech
Base URL
vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request
Last updated
2026-07-22
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Bellido, Enrique. Alexandria University: an updated public learning institution and urban civic plaza. masters thesis, Virginia Tech, 1992. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/45214