GRADUATE PORTFOLIO - 2013 Donna Marion
2 More Light Than Matter [Thesis, Winter 2013] 12 Augmented Participation [Studio, Fall 2012] 16 Centrifugal Courtyard [Studio, Winter 2012] 22 Delray & Sandwich Master Plan [Studio, Fall 2011] 26 Successional Landscaping - Delray [Site Operations, Fall 2011] 30 Green[ware]house Transformation [Studio, Fall 2011] 34 Fabric Pavilion [Advanced Materials, Fall 2011] 36 Octagonal Matrix [Representation, Fall 2011]
DeThe liriideaNew of complete individualization, ous York is a springboard for of total uniqueness, is a deception and of a thinkfarce; contemplation - an example of a way architecture taken to such an extreme would renderand itself nonexistent, ing. As Koolhaas comments on the nature of reality lays out architec- a nothingness in a it, vast of is endless without structure necessary toaccelerate provide them... ture's role within thesea story not of possibilities the subjects, but inthe his way of telling. As we into architecture becomes a Rorschach inkblot, with deliberate intent, notistruly a mass entirely an increasingly digital and virtual world, whatbut is the nature of reality? What architecture's role based on perceptionand but carefully crafted, seeding the subconscious, providing in reality a limited in the understanding manipulation of the virtual, and how does architecture's identity set of possible operations... but since the engagement is still left Using up toManhattan the viewer, as and since the change in order to keep its relevance in this shifting paradigm? a case entire Koolhaas picture is never viewed the illusion of continuous depth endless possibilities study, reveals reality at as once, a multi-layered series of experiences inand which architecture's remains... architecture is both signifier signified, both concept and experiences the icon, the that image identity is maturing to incorporate this and ideological shift bythe providing varied thatinto carries identity of that it represents... drasticto is chance, the panopticon, isolated tap the the virtual. The level of which interaction falls to themost individual, and is one of cells ringing around a watchtower, surveyor neverofsleeps and the never rests... many possibilities derived from our ownaactions; it iswhich an overlay the virtual, tactile, architectural diagram of both. powerDelirious in its purest New form.York No provides view inside tower, no sight and our interpretation thethe explanations and of human beings watching reality; over, the tower techniques itself standscan guard... used groundwork for interpreting these then be ap-fully, this influence was so present, plied anywhere. Brilliantly, Kool- so strong, so f o retroacrceful, haas writes his
40 Metﾃ行 Gardens - Construction [Construction, Winter 2008] 42 Tower Library - Construction [Construction, Fall 2006]
tive t h a t maniinmates, they could befull ofbeing festo as a realizing reconstruction of history acwatched at any and having no way of knowing if cepted facts but moment, woven into a new narrative. Through this they are, began to police themselves... most were driven reconstruction, new connections are made visible because of the insane of byreality the psychological pressure... the events existence of isolated, actual but surveyors nature itself; the fact that cultural are not rendered unnecessary by architecture's form... but many instead products of a shared ideology. Koolhaas takes advantimes ofthis between architecture image not so tage thisrelationship fact to display that analyzing anyand number of isevents distinct, notthe so brutal, so literal in its representation. One can can reveal culturalnot paradigms behind them. His technique is only derive meaningthough so far... a sharp divide occurs even at the levelsuch of a also deceptive; he makes strange connections smoothly, facade, the building's lobotomy, the inability for a building's as using the with history of Coney Island as mechanism for explaining the exterior to honestly represent the activities its interior... a development of Manhattan , this is not through on oversimplification. discrepancy surface area, their increasing squared Rather, these between conclusions derive successin from an increments, of and volume, increasing This text in should cubed abundance supporting research. not increments ... aof isolation, distinction between an object be read as a work but rather used as a lensand fromits representation, where one of may be more prominent which to view the potential how to change human than experi-the other,through but always dependant context...is not architecture ence architecture. The on question "what is theproduces true imagery,but identity; Beverly Hills. The dressing different rooms are surrounded of by reality?" rather, Prada. "what can we learn through interpretations glass as windows, glass aswith walls, glass as s clargely reens reality?" Our interaction the world is that record and isplay b c k virtual which to say, itais experienced through movement... a hyperfocus the individual human experience, where the digitally perception is indirect means, through an on implication of a space, depth, or environment that does not physically forefronted evenillusory, more and thandigitally a physical one... designed the architect, exist. This is often generated. Considerby Times Square, a site implemented by screens the user... architecture as a new identity... with as many digital and imagery as physical building faKoolhaas shows how architecture's identity can cades. One experiences the images on-screen evolve andthe mature - is evolving and more than physical architecmaturing - through ture itself,
44 Seeing Switzerland - Map [Summer 2007]
TABLE OF CONTENTS Graduate Work & Teaching Portfolio
46 Seeing Switzerland - Sketching [Summer 2007]
48 Delirious Virtuality [History, Theory & Criticism, Winter 2012] 52 Teaching Portfolio [ARCH 201, Fall 2012 & Winter 2013]
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This thesis explores and reworks the concept of spatial units and organization through the development of a geometric formal language, providing a fluid assembly of distinct, articulated components that dissolve into a coherent whole. Through techniques of geometric assembly and dematerialization, this project pursues an architecture of more void than solid, by designing more light than matter. The concepts are portrayed through a hybrid process which integrates both digital and hand-drawn elements. The technique of dematerialization is used as a means of foregrounding the space itself, disclosing only as much structure and material as necessary to imply depth, distance, boundaries and thresholds. This operates under the premise that architectural design exists in the realm of space more than matter or mass. Space is the material which constitutes our environment and is revealed through light, shown in glimpses and then dissolved into an indefinable expanse. In this context materials are defined abstractly, through their key perceptual properties (opacity, reflectivity, translucency) and their ability to imply spatial forms and boundaries.
MORE LIGHT THAN MATTER Thesis, Winter 2013
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A series of basic forms , composed of both curvilinear and angular geometry, assemble through the logic of erasure. Dissolving edges, faces, and boundaries allow one volume to blend into the next to form a cohesive whole. The aggregation of these parts transpires through local connections, not overarching geometries; it is a bottom-up design process that implies the possibility of continuous addition and the ability to develop through multiple scales simultaneously. This embodies a spatial organization wherein the whole reads as a system, and the parts lose their individual distinction, but the reveal of the geometric system provides a means of decoding the logic of the space’s organization.
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A new architectural species has been injected into Manhattan. Short-lived and continuously evolving, these assemblies take form as light interventions throughout the city that speak to one another, and modify habitual expectations of urban individuals. Each intervention is temporary, and with the passing of each species - or built spatial sequence - a new one rises from its ashes, taking on a new form and new ambitions, and relocating to a new context within the city. Parts, pieces, and ideas from the prior iteration are given new life in this evolved form. These species act as augmentations to common or unassuming programs, but implement their own hidden agenda: to unpack constructs we use to navigate our individual lives.
AUGMENTED PARTICIPATION Studio, Fall 2012
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These species strive to activate our engagement with the environment and with each other, vivifying our experiences and proposing a new form of urban play: an architectural species that gives us pause, catalyzing an internal transformation of individual perception and engagement.
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As the people of Seoul grow collectively older, the city will be under new pressures to accommodate an aging population. Our project addresses this issue by aspiring towards intergenerational integration, a desire to not only bring people together in an environment of mutual comfort, but to promote a beneficial collaboration of young and old through culture, history, and art. This is not only available in our library, encompassing the lower floors of our building, but also in the collective experience of the residents occupying the upper floors. Libraries are inherently multi-generational, and our particular take on the library allows it to take on an identity which will continue to apply itself into the future as information is increasingly digitized. With modern amenities and several atypical features, such as a theater and an advanced technology center, the building focuses on the dissemination of information through all modes of communication. A deep interior courtyard pierces from the main courtyard down onto the ground level. This is the library’s primary spectacle, acting as a wayfinding device and a means of organizing the incredibly vast floor area. Library patrons can enjoy a lively reading area within the courtyard on a pleasant day, and benefit from its light and spatial influences throughout the year.
CENTRIFUGAL COURTYARD Studio, Winter 2012
Partners: Nathan Mattson, Landry Root
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Setting atop the library, the upper courtyard unifies the two major programs, and contains provisions for both semi private and private spaces. Overlooking the lower courtyard, the residential portion of the courtyard is raised an additional two stories, providing the same benefits of the outdoor green space found below with the additional aspect of greater privacy.
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This studio partnership developed a master plan for Delray (US) and Sandwich (Canada), utilizing the logic of vegetation. Four types of vegetation were implemented, based on their spatial qualities: gardens, ponds, arboretums, and orchards. Logics drawn from these plant arrangements, such as spacing between trees in an apple orchard, then translate into spatial patterns for built space, such as the dimensions of a parcel of land. This design places more control in the hands of Delray’s and Sandwich’s citizens, allowing them to transform the quality of the region through a compilation of smaller efforts. Rather than a top-down master plan, this concept works from the individual upward.
DELRAY & SANDWICH MASTER PLAN Studio, Fall 2011
Partner: Jungmin Yoo
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This operates on a smaller scale level, allowing the overall form of the master plan to shift and transform over time in a positive way without being dependent on typical notions of positive change such as residential and commercial growth. Following a part-topart logic, rather than a part to whole, allows the introduction of new and more organic logical systems to transform the region and promote healthy change.
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Designing with a sensitivity to the context of Delray, we’ve overlaid three particular descriptors of the site in order to determine their relationships. Topmost are the vectors which map the growth and transformation of vegetation over time. In the middle is a trace detailing the currently existing vegetation on the site. The lowest diagram indicates the location of the active and inactive brownfields. Active industrial sites continue to release toxins into their surroundings. They are, however, crucial to the identity and stability of Delray, so we’re preserving them within our design with the caveat that their contaminants are mitigated by the continued use of phytoremediation within their areas of direct influence.
SUCCESSIONAL LANDSCAPING - DELRAY Site Operations, Fall 2011 Partner: Amanda Levesque
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By allowing the processes of phytoremediation and landscape succession to coexist within the same areas, not only does this boundary become blurred, but the presence of each type of vegetation is an indicator of the success of the remediation. A lack of non-remediating flora indicates the site is need of major remediation; an abundance of non-remediating flora indicates the remediation is successful, and the new ecosystem can thrive. Ecosystems will distribute themselves naturally as a gradient from the riverfront up towards the Fisher Freeway, based on the changes in soil conditions and other environmental impacts. While not forming distinct boundaries, these systems will organize as marshlands along the river, followed by a pine barren, then a deciduous forest.
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Located within a vegetation-focused master plan of Delray, in Detroit, MI, the repurposing of this abandoned warehouse serves as a site for remediation of the surrounding brownfields, as well as a cultural beacon of hope and transformation. Floor plates are deconstructed to shift the spatial configuration from a standard warehouse to an array of terraced greenhouses and a column-filled park and hanging gardens. The greenhouses are used to raise and grow the plants needed for advanced stages of phytoremediation, while the park encourages visitors to explore and view the methods used to clean up the surrounding site.
GREEN[WARE]HOUSE TRANSFORMATION Studio, Fall 2011
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Green[ware]house Green[ware]house Transformation Transformation
+3 +4
greenhouse descent walkway
+2 +2
garden approach walkway
+1 +7
catwalk hanging gardens
1/64” = 1’
0 scale: 1/128” = 1’
Green[ware]house Transformation
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My partner and I designed a quickly and easily deployable structure which is lightweight due to being made predominantly of fabric. Each piece of material is rectangular – which is easy to fabricate – and then pulled into the final non-uniform shape as a method of pre-stressing the structure, helping it deal more effectively with wind and snow loads. The fabric is stretched across two sets of arches which alternate in size; there is a set of “small” arches and a set of “large” arches. The fabric is stretched over the top of the large arches, and beneath the small ones, then clamped in place. In the gap between the two arches is a clear polyvinyl barrier; this lets light through, but is impervious to rain. Spacing between the arches is maintained using cross-bracing: hollow aluminum tubing. The process overall is easy to assemble, requiring only one or two people.
FABRIC PAVILION Advanced Materials, Fall 2011 Partner: Dorin Baul
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Octagonal Matrix is a modular system with its own internal logics, which can create a variety of different assemblies using a limited number of different components. Paired with the physical installation is a set of graphics to succinctly and clearly describe the assembly process. One basic module - an octagon with four square tabs - is modified with one of six possible center hole sizes. Fasteners cut from the smaller holes on the modules hold the individual modules together, and the multiple perforations allow these connections to happen at multiple heights. This, combined with varying hole size, creates visual illusions that enhance the perceived depth of the installation. Our use of color complements this intention to distort perception, as well as the interplay of light within the modules, and the heightened contrast of interior to exterior.
OCTAGONAL MATRIX Representation, Fall 2011
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1.8 6”
R .5”
R .75”
R 1”
R 1.25”
R 1.5”
top hole (t = top)
R 1.75”
1t
2t
3t
4t
5t
module logic: wall
1t 6b
2t 5b
3t 4b
4t 3b
5t 2b
6t 1b
4t 6b
6t 4b
5t 6b
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x 94
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x 113
x 140
x 158
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each assembled module follows a set height
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each assembled module follows a set height
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1.2”
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2b
13.3” x 32”
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dimensions, logic, and construction module assembly
module logic: ceiling
module pairing matrix
1.86”
6” 1.8
attachment types and possibilities
module: dimensions
656 modules 82 lasercut sheets 28 pieces of museum board
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lasercut the modules
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fold up edges (orange inside)
modules slide together
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tab bends in half
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bent tab slides through hole, unfolds to notch in place
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3 tab types
ceiling - single
arch diagram
ceiling - same heights
ceiling - different heights
arch - transfer from ceiling to wall
H
H H
G G
wall - same heights
wall- different heights
ceiling diagram
wall diagram
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wall - single
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octagonal matrix Donna Marion & Xiang Liu
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Second semester construction class focused on documenting the construction and structural elements of my UG3 studio design. I further developed the skills introduced in my previous construction class, while introducing a more advanced understanding of construction methods.
METĂ?S GARDENS - CONSTRUCTION Construction, Winter 2008
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First semester of construction focused on developing the building design from my first semester undergraduate studio project and modeling the means to construct it. Studying building materials and assembly methods, I communicated this information through detailed technical drawings. This course also served as an introduction to Adobe Illustrator and Rhinoceros. The Tower Library would be primarily constructed using glulam beams, insetting the staircase into the walls for structural support, and reinforcing the roofs to make them safely inhabitable.
LIBRARY TOWER - CONSTRUCTION Construction, Fall 2006
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“Seeing Switzerland” was both a study abroad and a traveling studio located primarily in Switzerland, with additional traveling through Amsterdam. The summer semester class had two main projects. The first was to hand draw a 36” x 48” map that explained a particular architectural aspect of Zürich, Switzerland. I chose to study the way in which architecture guides the newcomer through the city, indicating the distinctions between public and private spaces. I focused on how various architectural elements perform differently to indicate modes and methods of access, thereby directing both visitors and citizens throughout the city.
SEEING SWITZERLAND [MAP] Study Abroad Traveling Studio, Summer 2007
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This project, also from the traveling studio, focused on understanding architecture through hand drawing. Utilizing a combination of drawing types, techniques, and compositions, we explored various means of explaining and conveying architectural concepts through our sketches and renderings.
SEEING SWITZERLAND [SKETCHING] Study Abroad Traveling Studio, Summer 2007
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Delirious New York is a springboard for contemplation – an example of a way of thinking. As Koolhaas comments on the nature of reality and lays out architecture’s role within it, the story is not of the subjects, but in his way of telling. My polemic begins with the text and extends to this: As we accelerate into an increasingly digital and virtual world, what is the nature of reality? What is architecture’s role in the understanding and manipulation of the virtual, and how does architecture’s identity change in order to keep its relevance in this shifting paradigm? Using Manhattan as a case study, Koolhaas reveals reality as a multi-layered series of experiences in which architecture’s identity is maturing to incorporate this ideological shift by providing varied experiences that tap into the virtual. Virtual architecture, or architecture with virtual components, could span grounds not covered by other forms of architecture because of its incredible flexibility and immediacy. It would have the capacity to be responsive, tailoring to specific individuals, conditions, or input at an unprecedented speed and level of specificity. What could this mean for human experience- an architecture which was continually transformative, learning, and immediately responding to this new information?
DELIRIOUS VIRTUALITY History, Theory, & Criticism, Winter 2012
DeThe liriideaNew of complete individualization, ous York is a springboard for of total uniqueness, is a deception and of a thinkfarce; contemplation - an example of a way architecture taken to such an extreme would renderand itself nonexistent, ing. As Koolhaas comments on the nature of reality lays out architec- a nothingness in a it, vast of is endless without structure necessary toaccelerate provide them... ture's role within thesea story not of possibilities the subjects, but inthe his way of telling. As we into architecture becomes a Rorschach inkblot, with deliberate intent, notistruly a mass entirely an increasingly digital and virtual world, whatbut is the nature of reality? What architecture's role based on perceptionand but carefully crafted, seeding the subconscious, providing in reality a limited in the understanding manipulation of the virtual, and how does architecture's identity set of possible operations... but since the engagement is still left Using up toManhattan the viewer, as and since the change in order to keep its relevance in this shifting paradigm? a case entire Koolhaas picture is never viewed the illusion of continuous depth endless possibilities study, reveals reality at as once, a multi-layered series of experiences inand which architecture's remains... architecture is both signifier signified, both concept and experiences the icon, the that image identity is maturing to incorporate this and ideological shift bythe providing varied thatinto carries identity of that it represents... drasticto is chance, the panopticon, isolated tap the the virtual. The level of which interaction falls to themost individual, and is one of cells ringing around a watchtower, surveyor neverofsleeps and the never rests... many possibilities derived from our ownaactions; it iswhich an overlay the virtual, tactile, architectural diagram of both. powerDelirious in its purest New form.York No provides view inside tower, no sight and our interpretation thethe explanations and of human beings watching reality; over, the tower techniques itself standscan guard... used groundwork for interpreting these then be ap-fully, this influence was so present, plied anywhere. Brilliantly, Kool- so strong, so f o retroacrceful, haas writes his
tive t h a t maniinmates, they could befull ofbeing festo as a realizing reconstruction of history acwatched at any and having no way of knowing if cepted facts but moment, woven into a new narrative. Through this they are, began to police themselves... most were driven reconstruction, new connections are made visible because of the insane of byreality the psychological pressure... the events existence of isolated, actual but surveyors nature itself; the fact that cultural are not rendered unnecessary by architecture's form... but many instead products of a shared ideology. Koolhaas takes advantimes ofthis between architecture image not so tage thisrelationship fact to display that analyzing anyand number of isevents distinct, notthe so brutal, so literal in its representation. One can can reveal culturalnot paradigms behind them. His technique is only derive meaningthough so far... a sharp divide occurs even at the levelsuch of a also deceptive; he makes strange connections smoothly, facade, the building's lobotomy, the inability for a building's as using the with history of Coney Island as mechanism for explaining the exterior to honestly represent the activities its interior... a development of Manhattan , this is not through on oversimplification. discrepancy surface area, their increasing squared Rather, these between conclusions derive successin from an increments, of and volume, increasing This text in should cubed abundance supporting research. not increments ... aof isolation, distinction between an object be read as a work but rather used as a lensand fromits representation, where one of may be more prominent which to view the potential how to change human than experi-the other,through but always dependant context...is not architecture ence architecture. The on question "what is theproduces true imagery,but identity; Beverly Hills. The dressing different rooms are surrounded of by reality?" rather, Prada. "what can we learn through interpretations glass as windows, glass aswith walls, glass as s clargely reens reality?" Our interaction the world is that record and isplay b c k virtual which to say, itais experienced through movement... a hyperfocus the individual human experience, where the digitally perception is indirect means, through an on implication of a space, depth, or environment that does not physically forefronted evenillusory, more and thandigitally a physical one... designed the architect, exist. This is often generated. Considerby Times Square, a site implemented by screens the user... architecture as a new identity... with as many digital and imagery as physical building faKoolhaas shows how architecture's identity can cades. One experiences the images on-screen evolve andthe mature - is evolving and more than physical architecmaturing - through ture itself,
which h i is s allegory withchangConey continuously Island... parks, perhaps ing and theme represents a temponot not the beaconcontext. of architectural ral, a material In many achievement but nonetheless striking with ways virtual experience has replaced the their clarity intent... chronology here tactile realityand as the predominant mode of is the indicator the of world, maturity... Steeplechase understanding whether it be uncame first, the birth of the first theme park derstanding highway transportation through format a creation of the or market... its signs entirely, more than its trajectories, using of the demands of theto masses... the result QR codes on smartphones uninvented, but almost on accident. cover additional information about This a is architecture a the problem-based location or site. as With advent of design methodology, design as electricity, this transition was ineviderived exclusively table; electricity has to rectify an become the creimbalance, to ator of alternate solve realities, an easya problem... this is way of layering architecture multiple a s experi-
DELIRIOUS DONNA VIRTUALITY MARION ences s e v ewithin r e l y limited by its own definition, capable, and least the same physical space, and theleast introduction of artificiality mature... least architectural. Embodied by such a definition, as a marketable commodity. Reality is a network of woven what is toamake architecture distinct from engineering? Whereetc, is the threads, system of interrelated structures, objects, locations, clarity of benefits which architecturephysically and architecture alone can and these connections as understood and virtually. As arprovide? Its sisterthis park, newer and brighter and more developed, Luna chitecture maps virtual network, it in itself becomes a form of carPark, came next... more than a simple collection of attraction, more tography, a manner of navigating the steadily blurring distinction bethan an array spectacles without common thread... enhanced tween the mapofand the territory. This a can be difficult to parse, and by a theme, uses by surrealist a r c h i t e ctechtural Koolhaas niques to do
so. This is c fitting, o h e rbecause ence... corollary to an architecture in many ways reality itself which takes becomes strangeron thanresponsibilities fiction beyond strictly function, thepark role of what else can one makebeyond of theme the engineer; it crafts itsBarrels own identity, attractions such as the of Love,behaves where with some consistency, understands formal "even the most intimate aspects of human regulations and theirtoimpact on behavior, nature are subjected experiment" ? This use, appearance, cannot be unraveledinterpretation... by logic alone. these It designs an no exploration longer run into the paranoia, risk of being requires non-architectural in nature... but they suspension of our construction of realhave not yet reached full awareness, ity as sane and sensible. or theirarchitecture, greatest potential... third Virtual or architeccame Dreamland, the ture with virtual comlast in the Coney ponents, can Islandgrounds theme span parkcovered trio, most not by mature and other forms of m o s t architecture be-
cause of its incredible developed... flexibility and developed immediacy.byAr- a chitecture p o l i t i c i a n ,of " ea l edigital vated or to virtual an ideological nature has plane" the capacity ...a theme park totailoring appealto tospecific all classes, with the consistent thematic quality of Luna Park, but takenspeed to a level where even the layout to be designed responsive, individuals, conditions, or input at an unprecedented and level of specificity. What and composition of for thehuman park plan is deliberately designed... allegory tocontinually architecture with intentional craft, deliberately shaping ideologies than being simply could this mean experiencean architecture which was transformative, learning, and immediately responding to rather this new information? It the product of a them... given these guidelines forto architecture's potential, and the of reality, architecture's then becomes to produce environments and designs that apply would offer multitude of perspectives and ways experience a space, as well asnature an architecture with an innaterole intelligence, a sort of A.I. How could an architecture which was to a broad scheme, in which designs begin are not self-referential butthe have implications within human architecture's obligation is to allow for individual experiences, to provide flexibility, literally learning from its inhabitants tosimply operate and transform way we understand the natureunderstanding... of our environment? transformation... this reality may be as obvious of a transformation as athe single apartment taking on 24 possible interior arrangements through a set of moving wallsand , or may be incredibly of subtle and take the form Our interaction with is framed as individualized; chance; result of our own actions; one of many possibilities; an overlay of the virtual, the tactile, our interpretation both. Individualizaof potential minorwith alterations within a working home environment... designsworlds can run the Hyper-individualization gamut of possibilities, of especially where the digital are involved, intertwined, inseparable... tion is heightened the vertical schism, whereor floor plates separate programs apart. experience is continuing to and lead virtual to decongested congestion; initially Le Corarchitecture's inclusion of theas virtual is a of manner of expression well as allowing forcontradicting a new form ofdesires inhabitation, which again places and the experience architecture squarely in hands human of the individual, busier's designed non-event a series Cartesian Towers, itas is a response to the for density and for privacy emptiness. of It is society's unweaving ofthe personal interacfalling to exploration; chance; personal engagement; multi-layered and full of possibilities... [architecture] the lingering hope or the vague nature memory hopeis -not, thathowever, shape, form, tion, and re-weaving of isolated experience through virtual reality and digital networking. The"Itpotential for thisembodies extreme individualization and- multi-layered ofof reality coherence be imposed on the violent of information that washes over us and daily. Maybeas architecture doesn't have without bias;could the tools of the virtual carry withsurf them the same weight of ideologies context anything else. to be stupid after all. is Liberated from the obligation to construct, it can received, become and a way of thinking about "[Architectural theory] constructed, recorded, reproduced, propagated, connected to eduanything - apractice disciplineby that represents relationships, proportions, connections, diagram cation and means of some very concrete and specific materials,effects, media,the and mecha-of everything." Rem. Delirious New York, New York, NY: Thethe Monacelli Press, nisms. There 1 is aKoolhaas, complex interplay between theoretical discourse and continually 1994. Pg 29. 2 Koolhaas, Rem. Delirious York, it. New York, NY: Monacelli changing technologies that support andNew mediate " Given thisThe new nature Press, 1994. Pg 35. is2architecture William J. and Mitchell, “Theory: A experiVery useful of reality, what then its role in human Engine,”Architecture A + U No. is 373-375, (Oct-Dec 2002). Pg 116. 4 ence? an amalgamation of individual Koolhaas, Delirious New New and virtual Rem. experience, and the York, consisYork,but NY: tent
variably The Monacelli interPress, 1994. Pg 100. 5 preted material and tacKoolhaas, Rem. Delirious New York, tile constructions which constitute New York, NY: The Monacelli isPress, our environment. Architecture not 1994. Pgof45. 6 Koolhaas, Rem. the notion the picturesque, conDelirious forms New York, New York, NY:from The structed meant to be seen Monacelli Press, 1994. point. Pg It45. one particular vantage is 7 Koolhaas, Rem. Delirious New unify York, the antithesis of designs which New York, NY: experiences to a The Monacelli Press, single moment or 1994. Pg 45. a single 8
A Tiny Apartment idea. Without Transformsarchitecture into 24 Rooms variance, [Video].to be meaningfully (2010) Retrieved ceases engag8/24/2011 from ing. Tactile stimulation is important, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L but not universal, and acts as a g9qnWg9kakto the 9 virtual. Koolhaas, Rem. supplement Materiality Content, York, NY: Taschen, is a pointerNew and an indicator of a 2003. particular place and time, key to revealing context.
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The level of interaction falls to the individual, to chance, and is one of many possibilities derived from our own actions; it is an overlay of the virtual, the tactile, and our interpretation of both. Architecture’s inclusion of the virtual is a manner of expression as well as allowing for a new form of inhabitation, which again places the experience of architecture squarely in the hands of the individual, falling to exploration; chance; personal engagement; multi-layered and full of possibilities.
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ARCH 201 - Free-hand Drawing introduces students to basic architectural concepts through a series of hand-drawing techniques. These include technical skills and representations, such as plans, sections, elevations, and also builds a conceptual foundation for their future architectural work as they learn how to understand and analyze spatial design. My personal role as a graduate student instructor was to guide the students through their projects, recognize their difficulties and their strengths, and to catalyze their development as individuals and designers. The sea shells drawing is an excellent example of how students are often eager to learn, and simply need guidance and help focusing their abilities and ambitions to reach new levels. With help from their instructors, students in this course applied new techniques to familiar objects and settings, and learned how to develop a concept around which their final project would unfold.
TEACHING PORTFOLIO ARCH 201, Fall 2012 - under Melissa Harris GSIs: Danielle Beaulieu, Donna Marion
SEA SHELLS [VIA CONTOURS] Student: Phoenix Zhang 53
ORTHOGRAPHIC PROJECTION Student: Aigerim Mangibayeva
FINAL PROJECT: INSIDE/OUTSIDE Student: Monica Chen
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Winter semester of ARCH 201 brought a new class of students, the same course ambitions, but with greater responsibility and involvement from the graduate student instructors. Now experienced with the curriculum and class material, we took more active leadership roles throughout the duration of the course. We alternated with the head instructor in presenting course material and leading the in-class workshops, writing our own presentations based on what we had learned from instructing the previous semester. As during the previous semester, students applied their new knowledge of spatial representation to familiar objects and spaces, learning to cultivate ideas around which to base their final projects and drawings.
TEACHING PORTFOLIO ARCH 201, Winter 2013 - under Melissa Harris GSIs: Danielle Beaulieu, Donna Marion
CUBIC YARD/SECTION THROUGH OBJECTS Student: Iris Zhang
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FINAL PROJECT: CURVED THRESHOLDS Student: Kati Albee
FINAL PROJECT: OLD AND NEW Student: Josh Kim
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liriindividualization, springboard for deception and of a thinkfarce; ample of a way xtreme would renderand itself nonexistent, n the nature of reality lays out architec- a without structure necessary toaccelerate provide them... essibilities subjects, but inthe his way of telling. As we into kblot, with deliberate intent, notistruly a mass entirely , whatbut is the nature of reality? What architecture's role ed, seeding the subconscious, providing in reality a limited of the virtual, and how does architecture's identity he engagement is still left Using up toManhattan the viewer, as and since the n this shifting paradigm? a case , the illusion of continuous depth endless possibilities lti-layered series of experiences inand which architecture's and signified, both concept and experiences the icon, the that image ideological shift bythe providing varied h it represents... drasticto is chance, the panopticon, isolated action falls to themost individual, and is one of r, aactions; surveyor neverofsleeps and the never rests... wn it iswhich an overlay the virtual, tactile, ts purest New form.York No provides view inside tower, no sight irious thethe explanations and of tower techniques itself standscan guard... used y; the these then be ap-fully, so present, Brilliantly, Kool- so f o retroacrceful, his
manicould befull ofbeing tion of history achaving no way of knowing if new narrative. Through this themselves... most were driven are made visible because of the the events existence of isolated, actual but surveyors tural are not architecture's form... but many ology. Koolhaas takes advanarchitecture image not so analyzing anyand number of isevents in its representation. One can behind them. His technique is only divide occurs even at the levelsuch of a strange connections smoothly, lobotomy, the inability for a building's as mechanism for explaining the activities its interior... a not through on oversimplification. area, their increasing squared derive successinfrom an increasing This text in should cubed research. not between an object but rather used as a lensand fromits be more prominent how to change human than experi-the context...is not architecture question "what is theproduces true Hills. The dressing different rooms are surrounded of by learn through interpretations glass aswith walls, glass as s clargely reens action the world is b c k say, itais experienced through dual human experience, where the digitally perception is of a space, depth, or environment that does not physically ysical one... designed the architect, y generated. Considerby Times Square, a site architecture as a new identity... imagery as physical building faarchitecture's identity can the images on-screen - is evolving and physical architec- through itself,
OUS NA VIRTUALITY MARION
ences s e v ewithin r e l y definition, capable, and least ace, and theleast introduction of artificiality ctural. Embodied by such a definition, odity. Reality is a network of woven ture distinct from engineering? Whereetc, is the related structures, objects, locations, architecturephysically and architecture alone can understood and virtually. As arwer and brighter and more developed, Luna network, it in itself becomes a form of carhan a simple collection of attraction, more vigating the steadily blurring distinction becles without common thread... enhanced erritory. This a can be difficult to parse, and e, by surrealist a r c h i t e ctechtural aas uses ques to do
so. This is c fitting, o h e rbecause ence... corollary to an architecture in many ways reality itself which takes becomes strangeron thanresponsibilities fiction beyond strictly function, thepark role of what else can one makebeyond of theme the engineer; it crafts itsBarrels own identity, attractions such as the of Love,behaves where with some consistency, understands formal "even the most intimate aspects of human regulations and theirtoimpact on behavior, nature are subjected experiment" ? This use, appearance, cannot be unraveledinterpretation... by logic alone. these It designs an no exploration longer run into the paranoia, risk of being requires non-architectural in nature... but they suspension of our construction of realhave not yet reached full awareness, ity as sane and sensible. or theirarchitecture, greatest potential... third Virtual or architeccame Dreamland, the ture with virtual comlast in the Coney ponents, can Islandgrounds theme span parkcovered trio, most not by mature and other forms of m o s t architecture be-
its incredtecture l i t i c i a n ,of " ea l edigital vated or to virtual an ideological nature has plane" the capacity ...a theme hematic quality of Luna Park, but takenspeed to a level where even the layout or input at an unprecedented and level of specificity. What and chitecture with intentional craft, deliberately shaping ideologies than being simply tinually transformative, learning, and immediately responding to rather this new information? It the e nature of reality, architecture's then becomes to produce environments and designs that apply as an architecture with an innaterole intelligence, a sort of A.I. How could an architecture which was to in human architecture's obligation is to allow for individual experiences, to provide flexibility, the natureunderstanding... of our environment? possible interior arrangements through a set of moving wallsand , or may be incredibly of subtle and take the form ;24 one of many possibilities; an overlay of the virtual, the tactile, our interpretation both. Individualizathe Hyper-individualization gamut of possibilities, of especially where the digital are involved, intertwined, inseparable... art. experience is continuing to and lead virtual to decongested congestion; initially Le Cororm ofdesires inhabitation, which again places and the experience architecture squarely in hands human of the individual, cting for density and for privacy emptiness. of It is society's unweaving ofthe personal interacities... [architecture] the lingering hope or the vague nature memory hopeis -not, thathowever, shape, form, ng. The"Itpotential for thisembodies extreme individualization and- multi-layered ofof reality nformation that washes over us and daily. Maybeasarchitecture doesn't have he same weight of ideologies context anything else. bligation to construct, it can received, become and a way of thinking about d, reproduced, propagated, connected to eduationships, proportions, connections, diagram very concrete and specific materials,effects, media,the and mecha-of elirious New York, New York, NY: Thethe Monacelli Press, between theoretical discourse and continually Delirious York, it. New York, NY: Monacelli upport andNew mediate " Given thisThe new nature William J. and Mitchell, “Theory: A experiVery useful chitecture its role in human 373-375, (Oct-Dec 2002). Pg 116. 4 e. is an amalgamation of individual em. Delirious New New experience, and the York, consisYork,but NY: tent
1.734.604.9400 dcmarion@umich.edu
A Tiny Apartment idea. Without Transformsarchitecture into 24 Rooms variance, [Video].to be meaningfully (2010) Retrieved ceases engag8/24/2011 from ing. Tactile stimulation is important, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L but not universal, and acts as a g9qnWg9kakto the 9 virtual. Koolhaas, Rem. supplement Materiality Content, York, NY: Taschen, is a pointerNew and an indicator of a 2003. particular place and time, key to revealing context.