Callowhill Hybridity

Reimagining Architectural Motifs through Bas Relief and Digital Massing

The abstract architectural project aims to defamiliarize architectural motifs in Philadelphia’s Callowhill neighborhood by creating hybrid forms through the connection of architectural objects. The defamiliarization process involves taking familiar architectural elements and reconfiguring them in ways that create a novel design language through their restructuring. By blending forms, materials, and styles, the project creates a new language of architectural expression that challenges the viewer’s perceptions and expectations.

Bas Relief to High Relief:

The resulting hybrids are arranged in a bas relief, where the shapes and forms are sculpted and assembled to create a dynamic composition. This bas relief becomes the foundation for a high relief, which acts as the massing site model. This iteration borrows and distills the formal language of the bas relief, creating a succinct site model.

Throughout the project, the defamiliarization process is carefully considered and executed, emphasizing the relationships and interconnections between various architectural elements. The resulting design is a complex and visually engaging work that challenges conventional architectural thinking and invites the viewer to experience familiar forms in new and unexpected ways.