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[THESIS STUDIO] REVEALING THE GAP
THE INTERSECTION BETWEEN EDUCATION + PEOPLE

Pacific Islanders have been rapidly moving to the United States due to a complexity of issues relating to climate change, health, education, and more. With this move comes many cultural gaps the community faces as they enter a new place. Many have lost identity of “what is home,” and they don’t have a place to gather as a culture, a third place for themselves in Portland. There is a gap in visibility and public awareness. They are called an invisible population, with their demographics generalized with Asian populations. There is also a gap in education, as learning about other cultures is not something the general public often experiences. I take a social and institutional concept of this gap and bring it into the building as a literal and visual acknowledgement of the gap. As people move through the building and circulate, they realize they are in a gap. Once they’re aware of the gap, one can begin to see the different scales that this gap exists at - from the individual level to large site scale. This gap is primarily defined by a circulation path, but is highlighted through light, different reveals, and spaces between.

This project is located just south of Oregon Museum of Sciences and Industry (OMSI) in SE Portland. As part of a greater master plan that has been done, this project ties into proposed expansion of educational facilities by OMSI, connection to the river promenade, and a Tillikum plaza that exists as a node between my project and existing buildings on site. As a site that is owned by OMSI, one building is dedicated to expanding OMSI’s educational functions. The other bar is an opportunity for OMSI to partner with the Pacific Islander community through a cultural center. The parti of my project is two forms that exist above ground, one for the Pacific Islander community and one for the general public. These two forms don’t seem to necessarily relate, but as one moves below ground they uncover that these two groups are related through an interactive climate science museum. This program pairs well with OMSI’s existing mission of science education, but also directly relates to the Pacific Islander community whose island are seeing the direct result of climate change. These different forms of educational program begin to acknowledge this gap in education, and the many types of both formal and informal learning process.