The Fields Institute Turns Twenty-Five 170725 Final book with covers | Page 68

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Alison Conway
The architects of the Institute, Kuwabara Payne McKenna
and Blumberg (KPMB), were inspired by the power of
mathematics and its creativity in their design. Within the
rigidity of architecture they incorporated a juxtaposition of
rhythm, using serendipitous forms with consistent proportions
and order. From the cantilevered entry portico and the piano
nobile of rusticated limestone, the Institute has a subdued
almost austere appearance at street level. It is only when you
have climbed up to the Institute’s main floor that the structure
slowly starts to reveal itself.
Although mathematics is considered to be the
most international of the sciences, the architects chose
materials—granite, maple, Douglas fir, and naturally cleft
l