Architect: Clark Nexsen
Project Location: Asheville, NC
Project Completion Date: September, 2017
Short Description: Blue Ridge Orthodontics envisioned their new office as a signature space that creates a spa-like experience. To accomplish this goal, the design builds upon the tension between the opposing natures of the commercial street development and the natural potential of the site. Restrained exterior geometry frames an interior, fluid transition to an unexpected, natural focus beyond the building: a lush, verdant garden, sheltered in the lee of the building. The juxtaposition of a soaring roof and a sculptural, layered wall facilitates the connection between interior and exterior, while a stepped, stone-clad perimeter wall anchors the building on its site.
Architect’s Statement: The new office for Blue Ridge Orthodontics has had a transformative impact on its site. Previously, the location was home to a fast-food restaurant, surrounded by a large paved parking lot—a typical, uninspired, commercial development along an arterial road in South Asheville. The design seeks to revive the natural potential of the site by rehabilitating a central portion of it as a garden cradled in the L-shaped form of the building; and to accentuate the spatial transition from the asphalt world of the street to this unexpected sanctuary. Two conceptual elements work in tandem to facilitate this transition: a soaring roof and a layered, sculptural wall. The roof, with its deep overhangs, unifies the building by providing a steady presence over the central open spaces and a consistent edge along the perimeter of the building, framing views to the exterior with its upturned wood soffit. This soffit angle brings light into the interior, with the transition through the glazing acting as a minimal threshold that articulates the roof geometry. In contrast to the angular roof and the underlying grid of the building, the sculptural wall defines the central spaces with its flowing form, which programmatically separates the individual clinical rooms from the administrative wing. Built upon a six-inch plinth, this nine-foot-tall wall is constructed of 136 layers of CNC-cut poplar plywood—the result of a complex, precise fabrication that required close coordination between architect and fabricator. While expressive in form, the wall’s interweaving curves respond to a pragmatic, rational organization, as they incorporate necessary functional elements into its undulating surface. This massive, sculptural element pulls the open spaces of the building through a compressive threshold between the entry and the open treatment area, and ultimately directs focus to the garden beyond. The landscaped garden has been designed as a framed image to be viewed from the open treatment area. Plantings are arranged in a stratified fashion against the gentle upward slope of the site away from the building. In the foreground, evergreen ground covers follow a meandering river rock stream interspersed with large, ornamental boulders. The middle ground consists of large sweeps of native grasses mixed with native perennials such as asters, black-eyed susans, indigo, and butterfly weed. This native meadow fills the garden with color in the summer and fall seasons. At the top of the slope, two specimens of flowering trees fill the upper third of the landscaped composition. Meanwhile, an evergreen swath shields utilities from view and provides a private, shaded area for employees to enjoy. Similarly, the planted region along the road at the front of the building acts as a visual buffer from the street, providing views of flowering trees and a planted berm instead of highway traffic. The landscape has several sustainable aspects: The meadow’s plant species are drought tolerant and support native pollinators. The river rock stream, although ornamental in appearance, allows for infiltration and positive surface drainage from the building. Finally, existing elements of the site were retained or repurposed in service of the landscape design: The bamboo hedge along the back of the property screens the neighboring apartment complex, and a strip of the old parking lot was repurposed to create a permanent barrier for its invasive roots. The exterior of the building acts as an efficient framework for the interior: limiting direct sunlight, maximizing natural daylighting, and providing varying degrees of privacy. The large roof overhang intercepts steep summer sun angles, while allowing winter sunlight to warm the space. The surrounding trees and hills inhibit insolation from most lower angles. Only a small portion of direct sunlight enters the treatment areas, and this light is effectively mitigated with recessed roller shades. Below the glazing, a stone-clad wall anchors the building to the site. The wall height is modulated in accordance to the privacy required by the interior space, but always admits a generous amount of daylight through a continuous band of glazing above the consistent datum line. The result of these design decisions—conceptual and practical—is a building that is emblematic of the innovative, patient-centric attitude of the client. Their new office enables Blue Ridge Orthodontics to provide their services in a memorable environment, turning an orthodontist appointment into an unexpected retreat from the rhythm of daily life.
Type of Construction: A uniform grid of steel columns supports wooden roof rafters that cantilever beyond the building envelope to provide a deep overhang around the perimeter of the building. The roof soffit is framed to achieve an inverted roof form, clad in tongue-and-groove radiata pine. The cladding seamlessly transitions from the interior to the exterior, separated only by glazing, which meets it at a consistent height around the entire building. This continuous band of glazing sits on top of cantilevered exterior walls, composed of masonry below-grade, and steel studs above-grade. These walls are clad in thin stone veneer. To accentuate the lightness of the roof, the glazing above these walls is separated into two levels by a datum demarcated by a protruding mullion extension. Above this ledge, the upper band of glazing is constant; the lower band of glazing steps vertically with the stone-clad walls in response to needs for views, light, and privacy. The basic components of the building envelope remain consistent, however, subtle changes accent various conditions around the building. For example, the datum mullion deepens to form an entrance canopy, and the topography gently rises along the seat level around the exterior of the open treatment area to allow for a closer experience of the garden foreground. Construction of the sculptural plywood wall required close coordination between architect and fabricator. Made from dimensionally-stable poplar plywood, the layers of the wall were CNC-cut using CAD templates provided by the architect. These layers were then assembled into sections of the wall prior to on-site installation. The layering of the panels—136 layers total—resulted in significant variations in panel height, despite the superior quality of the plywood. To overcome the challenges presented by the dimensional variances, the architect relied on the craftsmanship and experience of the fabricator. The result of this successful cooperation is a singular, sculptural element that blends precision with inherent imperfections of the natural material.