Center for the Study of the American South Savannah,

Since the mid 1800s, the South has been one of the poorest regions in the nation. Over the past few decades the Southern economy has grown, but the resulting prosperity is unevenly distributed. Small rural towns as well as inner cities still suffer from the blights of poverty, discrimination, lack of education, and inadequate resources. Some areas in the South that have improved the standard of living in many ways have done so at the risk of diluting the region’s rich cultural heritage as well as its natural beauty and environmental resources. Maintaining a vital connection to its storied history is critical if the South is to retain its identity – an identity shaped not just by social injustice and poverty but also by the brilliant work of a myriad of statesmen, artists, writers, musicians and filmmakers.

This project aimed to create a center that acknowledged the South’s troubling history and celebrated its contributions to American culture. It houses digital and physical collections, a recording space for the collection of oral histories, workspace for visiting scholars, and a café.

In designing this center, inspiration was taking from a symbol of Savannah: the live oak tree. The live oak is known for its ability to withstand strong storms due to its deep roots and its ability to remain green through the winter while most oak trees become leafless. The roots of the building are the columns that ground the building to the ground and are from which the building grows from. However, unlike Symbolizing the trunk of the tree is a central monumental stair that ascends the building. Off of the stairs are a series of rooms that act as branches that become increasingly private as one ascends higher into the building similar. The punched screens along the facade act as leaves, filtering the direct sunlight into diffused lighting. The Ground floor of the building contains a lobby, cafe and bookstore that can open up to the street and neighboring park. The right side of the building contains gallery spaces with the user wrapping around the “trunk” of the building. The right side contains more private functions such as the archives and working spaces of the building.