1
Statement Works shown below has been produced at SCI-Arc, following 4 years of its undergrad program. With one foot heading towards graduation and the other reflecting about the works that has been produced, this portfolio shows different interests and materials that I have explored or developed. SCI-Arc, quite bravely, upholds the architectural ambitions that most architects today seem to have abandoned in favor of LEED certifications. Taking visual, applied, and liberal arts studies, including structures, ontological philosophies, and film, I want to change the understandings of reality. I believe architecture to be the seed to our built environment and therefore I find it necessary for me to become a good designer.
3
Contents Fall 2014 Design Studio 1A
Page 6 - 15
Spring 2015 Design Studio 1B Visual Studies
Page 16 - 25 Page 26 - 29
Fall 2015 Design Studio 2A Visual Studies
Page 30 - 29 Page 40 - 43
Spring 2016 Design Studio 2B Visual Studies
Page 44 - 53 Page 54 - 59
Fall 2016 Design Studio 3A Visual Studies Applied Studies: Environmental Systems Applied Studies: Tectonics + Materiality
Page 60 - 69 Page 70 - 73 Page 74 - 77 Page 78 - 81
Spring 2017 Design Studio 3B
Page 82 - 91
Fall 2017 Applied Studies: Design Development Design Studio 4A
Page 92 - 101 Page 102 - 111
Spring 2018 Vertical Design Studio 4B Applied Studies: Construction Documents
Page 112 - 133 Page 134 - 139
Essays 1A Visual Rhetorics
Page 140 - 141
1B Cultural Studies
Page 142 - 143
3A History & Theory
Page 144 - 145
3B Liberal Arts
Page 146 - 147
4B History & Theory
Page 148 - 149
5
SCI-Arc / Fall 2014
Square Cupola
Square Cupola Construction
Transformed Square Cupola
Transformed Square Cupola
1A Design Studio / Material Strategies Instructor: Emily White
Transformed & Contoured Square Cupola
Transformed & Contoured Square Cupola
Transformed & Apertured Square Cupola
Transformed & Apertured Square Cupola
7
Final Model
Final Model Front Elevation SCI-Arc / Fall 2014
Massing Model
Study Model 9
Plan B
Plan A SCI-Arc / Fall 2014
Short Section A
Long Section A 11
Short Section B
Short Section C SCI-Arc / Fall 2014
Long Section B
Long Section C 13
Serial Section Diagram Figure A
SCI-Arc / Fall 2014
Serial Section Diagram Figure B
15
SC SCI-Arc /S Spring 2015
1B Design Studio / Conceptual Strategies Instructor: Constance Vale
Le Corbusier’s Congress Hall Plan Construction, Figure Study
17
Le Corbusier Figure, Figure Ground Negative
SCI-Arc / Spring 2015
Le Corbusier Figure, Figure Ground Positive
19
Assemblage of Figures
SCI-Arc / Spring 2015
Twisting Extruded Figure
Twisting Extruded Figure
Negative Figure
Positive Figure
21
Long Section
/ Spring 2015
Short Section
23
Level 2
Level 4
Ground Floor Plan
Level 3
UP
UP
DOWN
DOWN
SCI-Arc / Spring 2015
Render
25
Inverted Cone
SCI-Arc / Spring 2015
1B Visual Studies / Fabrication & Delineation Instructors: Emmett Zeifman Emily White
Dumpling Construction
27
Final Models Photograph
SCI-Arc / Spring 2015
Final Models Photograph
29
Subdivided Massing
Angled Programs
SCI-Arc / Fall 2015
2A Design Studio / Formworks & Sites Instructor: Emmett Zeifman
Concept Model
31
Level 3
Level 2
Ground Floor
SCI-Arc / Fall 2015
Level 6
Level 5
Level 4
33
SCI-Arc / Fall 2015
Long Section
35
SCI-Arc / Fall 2015
Long Section
37
SCI-Arc / Fall 2015
Final Model
39
Exercise 2 Render + Linework
SCI-Arc / Fall 2015
2A Visual Studies / Technologies of Description I Instructors: Jenny Wu Mira Henry
Exercise 1 Render + Linework
Exercise 1 Linework
41
Exercise 2 Physical Model
SCI-Arc / Fall 2015
Exercise 2 Render
Exercise 1 Physical Model
Exercise 1 Render
43
Unfoldable Final Model
SCI-Arc / Spring 2016
2B Design Studio / Frameworks & Programs Instructor: Anna Neimark
Unfoldable Study Model
Unfoldable Study Model
45
Unfolding Study Model
Unfolding Study Model
SCI-Arc / Spring 2016
Drawing
Drawing
47
Unfolding Study Model
SCI-Arc / Spring 2016
Unfold Drawing
49
SCI-Arc / Spring 2016
Level 2
Level 4
Ground Floor
Level 3
Section
Section
51
Unfoldable Final Model
Unfoldable Final Model SCI-Arc / Spring 2016
Unfoldable Final Model
Unfoldable Final Model 53
SCI-Arc / Spring 2016
Pattern & Color Study Model A
Pattern Study Model
Pattern & Color Study Model B
Pattern & Color Study Model C
2B Visual Studies / Technologies of Description II Instructors: Jackilin Hah Bloom David Freeland
Shape Study Model A
Shape Study Model B
Shape Study Model A
Shape Study Model B
55
Final Project Drawing
SCI-Arc / Spring 2016
Final Project Drawing
57
Final Project Model
SCI-Arc / Spring 2016
Final Project Model
59
Site Plan SCI-Arc / Fall 2016
3A Design Studio / AMIGAA Articulation & Tectonics I Instructor: Margaret Griffin Partners: Adilet Dairabayev Will Wang
Reforma 432 Mexico City
61
Tectonic Chunk
SCI-Arc / Fall 2016
Elevation
Section 63
Level 2
Ground Floor
SCI-Arc / Fall 2016
Level 4
Level 3
65
2nd Facade Study Model
1st Facade Study Model
SCI-Arc / Fall 2016
Facade Corner Condition Drawing
Facade Module Drawing
67
SCI-Arc / Fall 2016
Final Model 69
SCI-Arc / Fall 2016
Arts Districts Still Shots
Arts Districts Still Shots
Little Tokyo Still Shots
Still Shots & Matte Painting
Little Tokyo Still Shots
Still Shots & Matte Painting
3A Visual Studies / Film: City Instructors: Alexey MarďŹ n Teammates: James Li Jelvis Jiao Raina Lin Prarthna Misra
Still Shots & Matte Painting Downtown, Los Angeles Arts Districts, Los Angeles Little Tokyo, Los Angeles
71
Downtown Morning Shot
Downtown Night Shot
Downtown Daytime Shot & Matte Painting
SCI-Arc / Fall 2016
Grand Central Market Shot & Matte Painting
73
Daylighting & Sound Simulation
Daylighting & Wind Simulation
SCI-Arc / Fall 2016
3A Applied Studies / Environmental Systems Instructors: John Bohn Teammates: Hannah Lee Sidaq Gill Mona Weng Ziyi Zhao
Energy Simulation Daylighting Wind Sound Heat Shadow
75
Daylighting Energy Diagram
Daylighting Energy Diagram
SCI-Arc / Fall 2016
Final Daylighting Drawing
Final Group Compilation Drawing
77
Double Skin Facade + Netherland Institute for Sound and Vision
SCI-Arc / Fall 2016
3A Applied Studies / Tectonics + Materiality Instructors: Ramiro Diaz-Granados Maxi Spina Teammates: Andrew Han Will Wang Randall Zaragoza
Exploded Axon
79
Steel Frame
.
Precast Concrete
.
Double Glazing
.
Relief Cast Glass which is 10mm printed toughened glass
SCI-Arc / Fall 2016 Precedent Study: Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision, Netherlands Facade System: Curtain Wall
.
Bracing
.
35mm Steel Pivotin Frame
.
10mm Printed Toughened Glass
.
80mm Steel RHS Rail
.
Bracing
.
10mm Printed Toughened Glass
.
ø 24mm Steel Suspension Rod
.
Bolts
.
Nuts
.
160mm Steel RHS Rail
.
Tectonics and Materiality AS3033 Joseph Suh
81
University of California, Berkeley Campus
Bancroft Way Main Entry Bankroft Bowditch Street Main Entry Durant Avenue
Durant Avenue
College Avenue
Bowditch Street
Site Plan
SCI-Arc / Spring 2017
3B Design Studio / AMIGAA Articulation & Tectonics II Instructor: Herwig Baumgartner Partner: Hannah Lee
Axon Drawing UC Berkeley Campus
83
Durant Avenue Elevation Final Model
Bankroft Way Elevation Final Model
SCI-Arc / Spring 2017
Durant Avenue Elevation
Bankroft Way Elevation
85
SCI-Arc / Spring 2017
Final Model
87
SCI-Arc / Spring 2017
Section
89
Ground Floor
Ground Level
SCI-Arc / Spring 2017
Level 3
Level 3
Level 5
Level 2
Level 2
Level 5
Level 4
Level 4
91
Aluminium Panels
Exterior Panel Structure Main Frame Exterior Panel Structure Tube Frame
Insulated Ceiling Glazing
Glass Unitzed Frame
Rubber Seal
5 Insulated Glazing
Primary Structure Tube
Aluminium Extrusion
4 Exterior Panel Attatchment Piles
11
Secondary Structure Tube
1 A4
8 9
Secondary Structure
Floor Finishing Stainless Steel Connection Thermal Insulation
2
Aluminium Extrusion Concrete Slab
W 24x162 Flange Beam with 2” Fire Proofing
Insulated Glazing
1 Aluminium Panel
Tinted Glass Panel
7 Fire Sprinkler
12 13
1 A18
Service Pipe Supply Duct
11
Suspended Ceiling Structure
10 Exterior Panel Structure
5 3
1 A5
6
1 A6 5
Secondary Structure
Aluminium Panel
Exterior Panel Structure Main Frame
Exterior Panel Structure Tube Frame
17 Raised Floor Finish
Insulated Glazing
Aluminium Extrusion
Raised Floor Structure
Structural Curb
15
L Flush
Ground Tiles
Gutter
Waterproof Layer
16 Client
City of Berkeley
Architect
Lihan Li Donna Jimeno Joseph Suh Andrew Han Derek Yan
Consultant
Y
Scott Uriu Pavel Getov Matthew Melnyk Jamey Lyzun
SCI-Arc / Fall 2017
4A Applied Studies / Design Development Instructors: Pavel Getov Scott Uriu Structural Consultant: Matthew Melnyk Environmental Consultant: Jamey Lyzun Teammates: Andrew Han James Li Donna Adam Derek Yen
Project Location
Project Information
Building Code
Site Address:
2016 California Building Code (CBC) Volume 1 2016 California Building Code (CBC) Volume 2 2016 California Residential Code (CRC) 2016 California Energy Code 2016 California Green Building Standards Code 2016 California Electrical Code (CEC) 2017 Electrical Code Errata 2016 California Plumbing Code (CPC) 2016 California Mechanical Code (CMC) 2016 California Fire Code (CFC) 2016 California Historical Building Code (CHBC) 2016 California Existing Building Code (CEBC)
2626 Bancroft Way Berkeley, Ca 94704 APN: 055 187101901 Owner: City of Berkeley Analysis: Occupancy Group: A-3 - Public Library Type of Construction: Type I-B
Scope of Work: Construction of public library and all associated site work.
93
SYSTEM NAME & DRAWING GLASS STICK SYSTEM
GLASS UNITISED SYSTEM
PANEL ATTACHMENT
METAL CLADDING
PROS
CONS
- THE ALUMINUM FRAME IS INFILLED WITH GLASS THAT ALLOWS FOR NATURAL DAYLIGHT
- DOES NOT BLOCK SOLAR HEAT GAIN & IS LIMITED IN CONTROL OVER THERMAL & VISUAL COMFORT
- MOST COST EFFECTIVE HT ALLOWING NATURAL LIGHT GLASS PANEL SYSTEM
- THE ALUMINUM FRAME IS INFILLED WITH GLASS THAT ALLOWS FOR NATURAL DAYLIGHT
- DOES NOT BLOCK SOLAR HEAT GAIN & IS LIMITED IN CONTROL OVER THERMAL & VISUAL COMFORT
- MOST COST EFFECTIVE HT ALLOWING NATURAL LIGHT GLASS PANEL SYSTEM
- THE ALUMINUM FRAME IS ADAPTABLE ALLOWING FOR CUSTOM PANELS TO BE INSTALLED WITH EASE
- PRONE TO DAMAGE THROUGH DENTING
- MOST COHESIVE PANEL SYSTEM FOR CURRENT DESIGN SCHEME
- INEXSPENSIVE - VARIETY OF COLORS AND STYLES - FIRE RESISTANT - PROVIDES INSULATION
- PRONE TO DAMAGE THROUGH DENTING - NO ALLOWANCE OF NATURAL LIGHT OR VISUAL CONNECTION BETWEEN INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR
- EXCELLENT THERMAL INSULATION AND FIRE PROTECTION WHICH CREATES A SOUND BARRIER MADE FROM SUSTAINABLE RESOURCES
- TRADITIONAL APPEARANCE - RESOLUTION OF GEOMETRY LIMITED BY THE SIZE OF THE BRICK - LONG TERM MAINTANENCE REQUIRED IN MAINTAINING APPEARANCE
- PANELS ARE LIGHT WEIGHT, CUSTOM IN SHAPE & SIZE, STRONGER THAN CONCRETE & DURABLE
- MORE EXPENSIVE THAN CONCRETE
BRICK
GLASS REINFORCED CONCRETE
SCI-Arc / Fall 2017
95
MATERIAL
PRECEDENTS
PROS
CONS
TINTED GLASS
INSULATED GLASS UNIT
- ABSORBS SOLAR HEAT - PROVIDES PRIVACY - PROVIDES SUN SHADE - REDUCES GLARE - INCREASES INTERIOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY
- REDUCES INTERIOR VISABILITY - DARK AND SOLID BUILDING APPEARANCE - REDUCED LIGHT TRANSMISSION
- PROVIDES OPTIMAL NATURAL LIGHT - UNITISED SYSTEM CONSTRUCTION TIME & COST EFFICIENT - APPEARANCE OF LIGHTNESS AND OPENNESS - EXTERIOR AND INTERIOR VISUAL VTRANSPARENCY
- NO PRIVACY - SHOWS STRUCTURAL & MECHANICAL SYSTEMS - DOESN’T BLOCK SOLAR HEAT GAIN OR GLARE
- FIRE RESISTANT - ENVIRONMENTAL BARRIER (WIND & WATER) - SUNSHADING - CUSTOMIZABLE PANELS - PROVIDES PRIVACY
- HEAVIER THAN ALUMINUM - ECHOS NOISE FROM EXTERIOR FILTERING INTO BUILDING SUCH AS RAIN - SOLID APPEARANCE
- MORE ELASTIC, BENDABLE THAN STEEL - ENVIRONMENTAL BARRIER (WIND & WATER) - FIRE RESISTANT - PROVIDES PRIVACY - DOES NOT RUST
- PRONE TO UNWANTED DENTING & BENDING - METAL APPEARANCE IS FUTURISTIC
- CUSTOM FORMED TO SUIT NEEDS & COMPLEX GEOMETRIES - DURABLE & LIGHTWEIGHT - ENVIRONMENTAL BARRIER TO WIND & WATER
- EXPENSIVE MATERIAL - MUST BE CUSTOM MADE - LONG LEAD TIMES
- COST EFFECTIVE - BEAUTIFUL NATURAL GRAINS
- LONG TERM MAINTANENCE REQUIRED IN MAINTAINING APPEARANCE - DISCOLORATION
- EXCELLENT THERMAL INSULATION AND FIRE PROTECTION WHICH CREATES A SOUND BARRIER MADE FROM SUSTAINABLE RESOURCES
- TRADITIONAL APPEARANCE - RESOLUTION OF GEOMETRY LIMITED BY THE SIZE OF THE BRICK - LONG TERM MAINTANENCE REQUIRED IN MAINTAINING APPEARANCE
- MOST EFFECTIVE FOR DESIGN MOTIF AND ENERGY EFFICIENT
- MOST COST EFFECTIVE FOR DESIRED DESIGN MOTIF
STEEL PANEL
ALUMINUM PANEL
GFRC PANEL
- MOST DESIRABLE DUE TO LIGHTWEIGHT AND ELASTIC PROPERTIES
TIMBER
BRICK
SCI-Arc / Fall 2017
97
FRAME SYSTEM TYPE REINFORCED CONCRETE BRACED FRAME
STEEL BRACED FRAME
PRECEDENTS
PROS
- HAVE BENDING RESISTANCE IN BOTH DIRECTIONS, ARE USUALLY DESIGNED AS RIGID JOINTED IN BOTH X & Y DIRECTIONS - INTERLINKED BEAMS WITH FIXED MOMENT CONNECTIONS LINKING ALL COLUMNS ABOUT THE 2 ORTHOGONAL DIRECTION - COLUMNS ARE DESIGNED AS FIXED TO THE FOUNDATION - FLOOR SLABS ALSO MERGE WITH BEAMS
- LIGHTER MATERIAL VS CONCRETE - EFFICIENT CONTRUCTION TIME AND ASSEMBLY
CONS
- STEEL STRUCTURES ARE SLENDER & HAVE SHAPES WITH MORE BENDING RESISTANCE ABOUT ONE DIRECTION THAN THE OTHER - MORE EXPENSIVE THAN STEEL STRUCTURES
- REQUIRES FIREPROOFING - REQUIRES WEATHER PROOFING - MOST COST EFFECTIVE FOR REINFORCING STRUCTURE
TIMBER BRACED FRAME
SPACE FRAME
TRUSSES
- LIGHT WEIGHT MATERIAL - EASY TO OBTAIN / WIDELY AVAILABLE - LOW CONSTRUCTION COST - BEAUTIFUL NATURAL GRAINS
- REQUIRES FIREPROOFING - SUSCEPTIBLE TO OUTSIDE ELEMENTS & TERMITES - NOT AS DURABLE & SUSTAINABLE AS STEEL
- RIGID & LIGHTWEIGHT - POSSESS GEOMETERY TO ACHEIVE COMPLEX FORM - CAN SPAN LARGE AREAS WITH FEW INTERIOR SUPPORTS
- VERY EXPENSIVE
- CUSTOM FORMED TO SUIT NEEDS & COMPLEX GEOMETRIES - DURABLE & LIGHTWEIGHT - SPAN GREAT DISTANCES WITH OUT SUPPORT
- ONCE BUILT HARD TO MODIFY - MUST BE CUSTOM MADE - LONG LEAD TIMES
- RIGID & LIGHTWEIGHT - CAN ACHEIVE COMPLEX FORM - CAN SPAN LARGE AREAS WITH FEW INTERIOR SUPPORTS
- CUSTOME MADE LONG LEAD TIMES - EXSPENSIVE
- EXCELLENT THERMAL INSULATION AND FIRE PROTECTION WHICH CREATES A SOUND BARRIER MADE FROM SUSTAINABLE RESOURCES
- TRADITIONAL APPEARANCE - RESOLUTION OF GEOMETRY LIMITED BY THE SIZE OF THE BRICK - LONG TERM MAINTANENCE REQUIRED IN MAINTAINING APPEARANCE - VERY HEAVY & THICK
- MOST DESIRABLE DUE TO STRUCTURAL STRENGTH & GREAT SPAN DISTANCES
SHELL STRUCTURE
LOAD BEARING MASONARY STRUCTURE
SCI-Arc / Fall 2017
Concrete Cores
2’ I-Beam Floor Frame
2’ Square Columns
Concrete Cores
2’ Steel Tube Frame
1.5’ Steel Tube Truss
Parking Garage
99
6’
03
ADA Bathroom Plan
A11
10’
02
ADA Egress Plan
A11
18’
9’
03
ADA Bathroom
A11 9’
02
ADA Egress
A11
01
ADA Parking
A11
5’
8’
18’
01
ADA Parking Plan
A11
Level 6 3 Hr Fire Separation
Level 5 3 Hr Fire Separation
Level 7 4 Hr Fire Separation
Level 4 2 Hr Fire Separation
04
Reflected Ceiling Plan: Level 2 Fire Sprinklers
A10
Level 6 3 Hr Fire Separation
Level 3 2 Hr Fire Separation
Level 5 3 Hr Fire Separation
Level 2 2 Hr Fire Separation
Level 4 2 Hr Fire Separation Level 3 2 Hr Fire Separation
Level 2 2 Hr Fire Separation
03
Reflected Ceiling Plan: Level 1 Fire Sprinklers
A10
01 Smoke Exhaust
Fire Separation Axon Diagram
Smoke Exhaust
A10 A3 (Assembly Area): Main Lobby and Library Smoke Exhaust
B B A3
A3 B
A3
A3
Fresh-Air Intake
B (Business): Courtrooms and Offices
Fresh-Air Intake
Fresh-Air Intake
B
Fresh-Air Intake
B
Fresh-Air Intake
S (Storage): Archives
A3
5’
02 A10
SCI-Arc / Fall 2017
Fire Separation Section Diagram
01.1 A10
2 - 4 Hour Fire Resistant Ceiling
Black Glass Facade
Silver Aluminum Facade
Double Pane Glazing
Square Grid Brace Frame
101
SCI-Arc / Fall 2017
4A Design Studio / AMIGAA Positions Instructor: Ramiro Diaz-Granados
Site Diagram Boyle Heights, Los Angeles
103
Interior Render SCI-Arc / Fall 2017
S
W
S
W
E
N
E
N
January 1st 7:00 AM ~ 8:00 AM
January 1st 3:00 PM ~ 4:00 PM
S
W
S
W
E
N
E
N
July 1st 7:00 AM ~ 8:00 AM
July 1st 3:00 PM ~ 4:00 PM
Bi-Annual Radiation Diagram
105
Ground Level Ground Floor
Scale: 1/32” = 1’
SCI-Arc / Fall 2017
Level 3
Level 3 Scale: 1/16” = 1’
Level 2
Level 2 Scale: 1/16” = 1’
107
SCI-Arc / Fall 2017
West Elevation West Elevation
Section Section 109
SCI-Arc / Fall 2017
Final Model
111
Form
Style
SCI-Arc / Spring 2018
ArtiďŹ cial Intelligence Result
4B Vertical Studio / Cyborg Misprision Instructor: David Ruy
Form
Style
ArtiďŹ cial Intelligence Result
113
Form
Style
SCI-Arc / Spring 2018
ArtiďŹ cial Intelligence Result
Form
Style
ArtiďŹ cial Intelligence Result
115
SCI-Arc / Spring 2018
3D Modelled Room & Render 117
SCI-Arc / Spring 2018
ArtiďŹ cial Intelligence Result 119
SCI-Arc / Spring 2018
Massing Study Render
Displacement Map Image
Massing Study Render
Displacement Map Image
ArtiďŹ cial Intelligence Result
ArtiďŹ cial Intelligence Result / Form
Organic Style
Orthogonal Form
Organic Style
121
Render & Wireframe 522
522 Parameters: Length = 255 Width = 522 Length Segments = 85 Width Segments = 174
255
Image Resolution = 522 x 255 Subdivided Surface
AI Figure
Render
SCI-Arc / Spring 2018
Section Render
Workflow Screenshot
123
SCI-Arc / Spring 2018
Exterior 125
SCI-Arc / Spring 2018
Reception Space
127
Entrance Render
SCI-Arc / Spring 2018
Entrance Render
Restaurant Render
Entrance Workflow Screenshot
Entrance Workflow Screenshot
Restaurant Workflow Screenshot
129
SCI-Arc / Spring 2018
Entrance Final Render
131
SCI-Arc / Spring 2018
Entrance Final Render
Restaurant Final Render
133
1 A4.1
F
E.1
E
C
D
B
A.1
A E.10
Master Bedroom
Living Room 306
307
992 SF
211 SF
Office 200 1114 SF
1 A4.4
Gallery 100 1591 SF
Parking 000 3011 SF
Short Section
SCI-Arc / Spring 2018
4B Applied Studies / Construction Documents Instructors: Pavel Getov David Ross Teammates: Andrew Han James Li Donna Adam Randall Zaragoza
Render
Site Plan
135
8
9
1
7
6
5
4
3
10’ - 0"
10’ - 0"
10’ - 0"
10’ - 0"
10’ - 0"
A4.3
1
1
2
A4.2
10’ - 0"
A
A.1 4’ - 0 29/32"
B 10’ - 0"
5’ - 11 3/32"
7’ - 0"
1’ - 6" 1’ - 6"
C 10’ - 0"
10’ - 0"
10’ - 0"
10’ - 0"
0’ - 5 21/32"
0’ - 10 17/32"
1’ - 10 3/16"
ADA RESTROOM 101 88 SF
GALLERY 100 1796 SF
1’ - 6" 1’ - 6" 10’ - 0"
ELEVATOR 0 80 SF
1’ - 6" 1’ - 6"
1’ - 6" 1’ - 6"
STAIR 0 222 SF
1’ - 7 9/16"
10’ - 0"
1 A4.1
D
E
G
5H 4
10’ - 0"
5D
ADA RESTROOM 102 86 SF
10’ - 0"
10’ - 0" 1’ - 6" 1’ - 6"
4
0’ - 10 13/16"
A7.1
1’ - 11 31/32"
2
3’ - 4 15/16"
C
A
6 A7.1
5’ - 0"
3B
A7.3
2
2’ - 8" 2’ - 4"
3F
10’ - 0"
10’ - 0"
10’ - 0"
E
E.1
F
1
Exit Sign
Emergency Lights
Fire Sprinklers
Ceiling Light - Flat Round
Ceiling Light - Linear Box
Track Lighting Fixture
Outdoor Wall Light
6" Wooden Hanging Ceiling Panel (11.5’ above ground)
GROUND LEVEL 1/4" = 1’-0"
Reflected Ceiling Plan, Ground Floor
SCI-Arc / Spring 2018
8
9
1
10’ - 0"
10’ - 0"
10’ - 0"
6
7
A4.3
10’ - 0"
3
4
5
10’ - 0"
10’ - 0"
1
1
2
A4.2
10’ - 0"
10’ - 0"
5’ - 0"
A
A.1 2
A7.1
4
ADA RESTROOM 102 86 SF
WA-2
5’ - 0"
A
C
3B
1 A7.1
5D
B
46
10’ - 0"
54
GALLERY 100 1796 SF
32
ADA RESTROOM 101 88 SF
C
1 A7.3
10’ - 0"
43
UP
1 A4.1
D
A7.3 3F
2
ELEVATOR 0 80 SF
52
10’ - 0"
4
E
38
G
5H
STAIR 0 222 SF
E UP
5’ - 0"
DN
200mm Floor Light
5’ - 0"
E.1
F
1
GROUND LEVEL 1/4" = 1’-0"
Ground Floor
137
9
8
1
6
7
A4.3
4
5
3
1
2
A4.2
1
Top of Structure 46’ - 2" 3 A4.4
ROOF 32’ - 4 1/4" 45
LIVING ROOM 301 1180 SF
41
THIRD LEVEL 24’ - 0"
44
OFFICE 201 1415 SF
SECOND LEVEL 13’ - 0" ELEVATOR STAIRS 220SF
2 A4.4
43
80SF 1 A4.4
GALLERY 100 1796 SF
GROUND LEVEL 0’ - 0"
42
PARKING 000 2718 SF
BASEMENT -12’ - 0"
1 A4.3
1 A4.2
1
Section 2 1/4" = 1’-0"
Long Section
SCI-Arc / Spring 2018
10 26 13 WOOD BLOCK 03 40 00 PRECAST CONCRETE
06 13 00 2.5”X6” WOODEN BEAM 06 13 00 WOODEN SHIM
07 10 00 WATERPROOFING
05 40 00 STEEL ANGLE JOINT
07 50 00 FLASHING ADHESIVE 10 26 13 WOOD BLOCK 07 22 00 2” RIGID INSULATION 07 01 00 1” THERMAL BARRIER 05 30 00 METAL DECKING 05 12 00 STEEL ANGLE
05 10 00 8X20 I-BEAM
ROOF 32’ - 4 1/4"
05 10 00 6X12 I-BEAM
03 51 00 CAST CONCRETE
05 10 00 W12X26 I-BEAM 07 80 00 FIREPROOFING 04 22 00 CONCRETE MASONRY UNIT
10 26 13 WOOD BLOCK
07 20 00 BATT INSULATION 03 40 00 PRECAST CONCRETE 07 50 00 FLASHING ADHESIVE 07 10 00 WATERPROOFING 10 26 13 WOOD BLOCK 07 22 00 2” RIGID INSULATION 09 01 20 5/8” GYPSUM WALL FINISH 07 01 00 1” THERMAL BARRIER 03 35 13 5/8” CONCRETE FLOOR FINISH
05 30 00 METAL DECKING
GROUND LEVEL 0’ - 0"
05 10 00 W12X26 I-BEAM
ROOF 32’ - 4 1/4"
07 20 00 BATT INSULATION 09 01 20 5/8” GYPSUM BOARD 07 80 00 FIREPROOFING
08 01 80 GLAZING MULLION
08 01 80 DOUBLE GLAZING 03 35 13 LIFTED EXTERIOR FLOOR FINISH 07 40 00 TILTED STEEL FLASHING 03 15 16 1/2” EXPANSION JOINT
09 01 20 5/8” GYPSUM BOARD 07 20 00 BATT INSULATION
22 10 00 4” DRAINAGE PIPE 07 10 00 WATERPROOFING
07 92 00 MULLION SEALENT 07 10 00 WATERPROOFING
10 26 13 WOOD BLOCKS 08 01 80 GLAZING MULLION
07 10 00 VAPOR BARRIER
05 10 00 W12X26 I-BEAM
07 22 00 RIGID INSULATION
03 35 13 INTERIOR FLOOR FINISH
03 31 00 3’X4’ CONCRETE FOOTING 05 12 00 7” CONNECTION BOLT 07 22 00 RIGID INSULATION 07 10 00 WATERPROOFING 07 10 00 VAPOR BARRIER 03 31 00 CONCRETE FOUNDATION
Detail
139
Yayoi Kusama and Polka Dots From visual studies to human consciousness, polka dots have long retained a study and fascination to many. The natural phenomena of the dots, processed and surfaced through the human optics, has universally effected how humans perceive the world. Yayoi Kusama, a Japanese artist has personalized the concept of the polka dots and uses it as major themes of her famous works, expressing it through various mediums such as painting, installation, sculpture, and more. Ever since she was a child, she suffered psychological problems which influenced her works. While abused as a child from her mother, Kusama also suffered from nervous disorder and having vivid hallucinations. Leading to her adulthood as an artist, she was able to utilize her disorder artistically. Pertaining to the concept of polka dots, Kusama’s approach as someone who had to deal with it lifetime, one can say that the polka dots are subjective to her. The three images then represents how polka dots effect her perception. It is important to note that although it might not be a forgery of her exact vision, that the polka dots had largely influenced and shaped her works as an artist. The three images show the intensity of the dots to the perception of human optics. The first image shows a living environment, a dining table, with bright colored polka dots seeded into each space to the eye’s vision. The dots create the illusion of having no depth, although the furnitures and the space itself has depth. This visual effect makes one question as to how they should process the polka dots: Such as whether the dots belong to the environment in which they inhabit, or to take all the dots together and label it as a layer before seeing and recognizing the space behind it. The unfamiliarity of the dots and its emergence to living space is intriguing and introduces the universal concept that any visuals through the human eye could in fact be dots.
In the second image, polka dots become much more conceptualized. The living space is gone and the objects which existed in it has transfigured into abstract wavelike patterned forms. The dots become bigger and and smaller as depth is applied. The color choices Kusama chose make the imagery of the dots psychedelic. Furthermore, with reflecting dark floor and ceiling, Kusama creates an illusionary space that seems infinite. Overall, the second image could allude to the human consciousness how the waves of the human psyche process images which roots from dots. The last image shows an infinite net of dots and also serves as a good concluding image to this proposal. The image indicates an abstract space void of any realistic or living space. Instead the polka dots fill the entire image, making the work highly conceptual. The work raises the universal phenomena of the dots and their role that go further than just points. In the third image, one if confronted with the universality of the dots that make up the human optics in both a beautiful and mesmerizing way. Kusama’s three works shown through the images above, all have polka dots as its main concept. With each image, the role and scale of the dots changes, ranging from dots in a living space to an abstract space with infinite dots. The phenomena of dots and theories surrounding it all lead to the universal fact that the dots are a both visual and psychological catalyst. And while many scholars and artists see the dots objectively, it is unique to see Kusama, who has largely been influenced by the dots, to portray them artistically, which many believe that add intrinsic value to her works.
1A General Studies / Visual Rhetorics Instructor: Stephen Phillips
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Fujimoto and Gothic Fujimoto’s Outlook Tower Sou Fujimoto’s architecture can be distinguished by his grid-like structures and transparency. For example, The combination of the two, all while attributing his aesthetics to follow nature, become visually modern yet timeless. For example, in the Pavilion, Sou Fujimoto uses steel rod frame in a grid system that looks like a cloud. The transparency between the rods creates a blend between the Pavilion with nature. On the other hand, Gothic Architecture departs from Romanesque Architecture with the introduction of pointed arches. These allow more geometric freedom and therefore lead to reaching new heights. In modern architecture, contemporary building allude to many classical buildings. Fujimoto’s Outlet Tower is no exception. Through the similar ways to achieve height and serenity, Fujimoto’s Outlook Tower takes cues from the Gothic Architecture.
Outlook Tower Arches Similar to Gothic Architecture Arches, Fujimoto also uses arches in grid-like arrangements. With application of free ground plan and facade from Corbusier’s five points, Fujimoto stacks arches and uses them to support one another. Structurally all created from the arches, Fujimoto uses the geometry in different ways by strategic placement and scale. As a planar side of the arc meets another through stacking, Fujimoto might arrange some arches to meet on each ends, creating a full circle. On some cubelike stack of arches, he might place the arches on the sides or on the ceiling or floor, controlling the circulation of light (transparency) as well as traffic. In some planar sides, the arch might be bigger or truncated creating variations. Altogether, the Outlet Tower uses same geometry but due to scrambled arrangements, create rhythmic pattern of the arc.
Gothic Arches During the Romanesque Architecture, the use of semi-circular vault not only limits light but space due to material thickness to hold the weight and structure. The Gothic pointed arch solves this issue. By having a tall vault creates more space to place glass for light. The pointed arches become part of the ribbed vaults which lessens the burden of weight by concentrating the pressure to narrow edges of the pointed arc. These pressures to the vault are supported by the flying buttress, which altogether allows the pointed arches to be stackable. This system allows Gothic structures to be taller than Romanesque. Also, the unison of the three is repeated throughout the gothic buildings creates a geometric shape. For example, Cathedral of Notre Dame uses all three of the three to create height and aesthetic unity, making the Cathedral a prime example of a Gothic Architecture.
Outlook Tower Serenity Through layers and stacks of arches, Fujimoto achieves serenity through blending the structure with nature. In a structure that is comprised of arches, Fujimoto addresses public and private space with the layers of arches. By systemically distributing open wall with arc and closed wall, the interior could become private from the exterior at certain point through the dense layers around the bottom floors. This application is same for the light as the large arches fill the whole structure with light, the structure becomes a true mixture of nature and architecture, making it serene.
Gothic Serenity Soger, patron of Gothic Architecture, wanted to bring light into the building. This could have translated to the fact that while there were many types of buildings created with Gothic style, the most known buildings are often Cathedrals. Full of light, the Cathedrals became more divine and holy. Also, the light source coming from tall vaults, is symbolic to the religious notion of light coming from above. This has similar effects to the facade, in which the tall pointed vaults create a magnificent look to the passersby.
Summary of the Cues Though centuries apart, the Gothic Architecture has many modern traits in such that the pointed arches allow geometric freedom that lead to taller shape, allowing bigger glass. Fujimoto adopts these cues in the Outlook Tower by using arches in various directions and sizes to create a structure that is highly stackable while being transparent. Comparison of Gothic Architecture and Sou Fujimoto’s Outlook Tower shows a unique reading of classical architectural in small amount of cues but with grand scale.
1B Cultural Studies / History of Architecture I: Premodern to Modern Instructor: Michelle Paul
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What is Theory? Schumacher says that “all social phenomena or events depend on systems of communication… Communication structures everyone’s interface with the physical world and our relations with each other.” Theory is the intention of explaining an idea. Influential ones leave a lineage - such as Marxism’s effect on individuals and nations - and culture plays a large role by being the mediator between reality and practice. When it is effective, theory enriches organizations and fields of studies. In the architectural context, the age of stagnant modernism along with emerging styles and technologies have made it hard to define what architecture is. From the confusion, architecture’s role in private versus public or form versus function has long become the focus in discourse. Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment begins with Raskolnikov in his compact apartment in the growing St. Petersburg. To the contrast of his tall and handsome features, he is sick and poor. Not having paid several months’ worth of rent, his effort to avoid his landlord who lives a floor below shows his societal position. After much planning, Raskolnikov’s action to leave his room may be his most daring attempt - the climax as some literary scholars argue - his desire to overcome reality. The case above shows the architectural mechanisms found in society, a figural machine to lay role of amplification and arrangement of power. From Foucault’s writing Raskolnikov is like an inmate stripped down to the harsh yet legitimized realities of poor urban conditions in which once confined, haunts the inhabitant whereas in Evans the architecture or room is in conflict with Raskolnikov because he is not satisfied, creating a disconnect between the soul and space. This draws to the concept of the relationship between man and space. Tschumi mentions that space, architecturally, means “to determine boundaries.” The idea of felt space or volume deepens the theory that architecture can play a role to turn space into concept. For example, John Soane layers space upon space in Lincoln’s Inn Fields. Through the effect the boundaries would widen and have a new reading of space. Historically speaking, space, including the domestic, evolves as human minds and technology advances. Yet with problems of urbanization, the reading of space becomes more paradoxical as socio-political problems invade the private space.
Could Architecture exceed the ideal and real space? Such examples could be Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim in Bilbao, a spectacle to the eye as the form suggests cerebral aesthetics of the idealized space. On the other hand John Soane’s Bank of England constitutes the efficiency of real space, winning the trust of consumers to the institution of banking and commercial architecture. If space and soul are truly entwined, similarly to Tschumi’s statement, architectural space must strive towards purity, freedom for reality and independent ideologies. Peter Eisenman makes a study of Le Corbusier’s Dom-ino for the advancement of modern architecture. Peter Eisenman claims that buildings are not architecture just because they may have a wall, floor, or a door. When Eisenman alludes to Le Corbusier’s diagram of the Dom-ino, dissecting the significance of the slab, column, staircase, and the base. While confirming the simplistic nature of the work, Eisenman points out the different intentionalities such as there being a base instead of the slab sitting on ground. This representation, as Eisenman quotes, “the Maison Dom-ino is a sign system which refers to this most primitive condition of architecture, which distinguishes it from geometry.” Jencks’ writing rather complicates Eisenman’s call for intentionality. This is because the public’s reading of the building essentially morphs with it, and if the two languages are at odds, the building loses its original meaning. While Eisenman seeks to find an architectural significance in itself, addressing the architects, Jencks reminds the readers that societal culture and standards have an inevitable effect on buildings. For this specific reason Jencks mentions Magritte’s apple painting and alluding it to a doughnut shop in with a large-scale doughnut on the roof. He argues that literal, rather than metaphorical, could have a greater impact in legibility.
3A History & Theory / Architecture Theory Instructor: Todd Gannon
Robert Venturi is an advocate of the multi-functionality in architecture, saying “I like complexity and contradiction in architecture.” Venturi would therefore stand opposite to Jencks. Interestingly, the three writers point to what architecture means in their respective time. Modernism seems to be at the focus. Urban growth and sustainability gave birth to a set of standards that made modern buildings too predictable. Therefore while having complexity might make the building sophisticated, it needs to retain a language that is universal and esoteric to the locals. Peter Eisenman’s Jewish Memorial in Berlin is one of these cases, where the subtle but complex grid which Peter Eisenman is known for also has a profound and ominous voice for the locals. The two create a complex language, one that speaks for both architects and public, a multi-functionality itself. Another problem that rose from modernism is lack of aesthetics. Jencks mentions how architecture has become a cliche of typologies and the form has turned into a metaphor of another object to the public. Similar to problems of function, architecture must have a deeper understanding of aesthetics to become significant. Greg Lynn’s writing of the fold and soft form; premising of deconstructivism to Schumacher’s declaration for parametricism, the computer-aided designs are creating a lineage of architectural styles. Schumacher looks into classical modern period to define the future of architecture, stating “for 2,000 years architecture was working with platonic solids… primitives we are working with today is a totally different world splines, blobs, nurbs, all organized by scripts.” On the other hand, Jeffrey Kipnis uses analogies like cosmetics - as opposed to jewelry - to show Herzog & de Meuron’s emphasis towards the facade. Kipnis uses Signal Box as an example to define the firm’s identity. The facade exudes qualities of minimalistic ornamentation and re-interprets materials like copper by using modern design techniques such as the copper branding system. Zaha Hadid Architects (Schumacher) and Herzog & de Meuron’s aesthetics are at polar opposite. Schumacher’s statement that “for 2,000 years architecture was working with platonic solids” could implicate that Herzog & de Meuron’s use of primitive geometry is outdated and a true modernist should see parametricism as the absolute.
Though it is unclear whether there is a hierarchy between platonic or parametric forms, a comparative answer to the two approaches could be found in Deleuze’s analysis of Francis Bacon. In other words, analysis of sensation. He talks about the Figure - in which this context is interpreted as form - and sensation in multiple ways. For HdM would be the “scream,” where the scream paints a bigger picture of horror without having to portray the horror itself. As Deleuze summarizes the scream, “this secondary figuration depends on the neutralization of all primary figuration.” For Schumacher would be the movement, where “in the end, it is a movement ‘in-place.’” Once immobilized - which all buildings should do - Deleuze’s statement applies for parametricism. “There is immobility beyond movement: beyond standing up, there is sitting down, and beyond sitting down, lying down.” Perhaps it is the public’s perception that buildings are static and stationary that the exotic yet formulated movement of parametrics is the source of its sensation. Therefore the common denominator for both HdM and ZHA is that their works are sensational in its own way, using not only the figure and rhythm to the highest degree, but more importantly, have created certain principles and formulas of their own to execute it. Also, while both parties may have not created a universal theory for architecture, and it may not be necessary, it is clear that HdM and ZHA are making significant contributions to the architectural discourse and public alike. and if such figures like these exist, the field of architecture can always remain optimistic even in times of confusion. In conclusion, contemporary architecture must identify itself with a clear design language that addresses beyond urban standards and seek to elevate the individual’s relationship to space. Theory is like a communication and similar to real life, the exchange between ideas forge new ones. Like Peter Eisenman’s analysis of Dom-ino, it is with strategic intentionality of compositions that architecture could convey a powerful message for itself.
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Bladerunner and Dark City: What is it to be a human in a world of artificiality? If the Blade Runner starred Roy Batty, an advanced android called “Replicant” as the main protagonist, and if the audiences were to be put into his shoes and not Deckard’s (which in his perspective Roy is the antagonist) one could imagine seeing him escaping his enslavement, alongside with other Replicants like him, from the terror, the pain, in search to meet his maker, and ultimately seek freedom and life (instead of having a 4 year lifespan.) He makes these efforts because despite being a Replicant the engineer’s (Tyrell Corporation) ambition to create an indistinguishable humanoids have given Roy human consciousness and emotion which drives his intentions throughout the movie. However Roy is a ruthless antagonist who kills others to obtain his goal and instead the audience is given Rick Deckard, a retired Blade Runner, as the protagonist. Contrast to Batty, Deckard doesn’t have a classic Hero’s Journey; his life is pretty depressive, his wife left him, he has a terrible job that he hates, he lives in the middle of the urban sprawl. One of the pivotal elements of the film is this depiction of Deckard as an everyday man living under urban activities such as eating and drinking in the multicultural, lonely, and dirty streets of Los Angeles, in which its depiction resonates back to us, the audience, to the run-down, unwanted or common beings existing within the urban system. And ultimately as Deckard comes to encounter the Replicants and the corporal power which comes into play that manipulates with the nature of humanity, the narrative invites questions of humanity and the world of artificiality as a major theme to the audience. This theme comes to full light in the climax in which Roy, rather than killing Deckard, saves him as he is about to die from his inherent lifespan. Roy tells Deckard that his memories “will be lost in time, like tears in rain,” in which from a replicant’s point of view this statement is quite nihilistic. But is it?
This moment of encounter and relationship between humanity and artificiality; or rather the search of one party to find meaning by needing the other goes for both Blade Runner and Dark City and both films employ different methods to show it. Blade Runner does this by appealing to human emotions, using imageries, having Deckard as the protagonist (mentioned above), and using Los Angeles in a SCI-FI setting sets a realistic precedent for what’s to come in the future. The use of dark setting highlights the low street culture and the grim outcome of urban problems which in turn captures the aesthetics of commercial advertisements of corporations, the neon lights of street shops, and the flying cars that fill the dark atmosphere with its movements capture activity aka life, the city as a machine which serves as an infrastructure for the humans whose activities give life. That is why when Roy’s life comes to an end on top of the Bradbury building, giving his final monologue before dying, Roy becomes as closest to a human being; choosing to rescue Deckard, and sharing his final thoughts to another; his existence may pass like a raindrop, but Roy’s existence will never be forgotten to Deckard. As a film, the plot is like Deckard, who does not set out to find an adventure but rather the world itself is rather chaotic, and through subtle moments of beauty and encounters, brings meaning of what it is to be human.
3B Liberal Arts / Film II Instructor: Michael Stock
Dark City is another SCI-Fi film that delves similar themes in a different world; or more specifically a different reality, a speculative realism. Speculative realism which is a philosophical branch that bounces off of the noumenal (the world as it is “in-itself”) and the phenomenal (the world as it appears to us) to lead us to the ultimate question: how come we can think reality but we cannot know it? In the end of the film when John Murdoch, the main protagonist, encounters Mr. Hand, puts this question to rest by saying that the strangers have been looking the wrong place - the human mind - to understand humanity. Which leads to the next question, what were the Strangers doing, and what changes would Murdoch, who has inherited their power and resources, bring to further humanity? From an architectural and philosophical sense, Dark City predates to the Allegory of the Cave. John Murdoch with all other humans live in a dark city - the cave, controlled by the Strangers who have the ability to stop time and fabricate the inhibitor’s memories in an elaborate city which they have full control to change shape and scale, from buildings to tables. In other word, the Strangers are gods whose aim is by through countless iterations of simulation is searching for the human soul for their own survival. Once Murdoch “awakens” and is starting to realize the artificiality of his reality, and rather, his own humanity as his memories have been wiped out and replaced with fake memories, shows the audience the basic needs of humanity - a place of longing (the Shell Beach) and companionship through Emma. This is also the same in the Blade Runner where Deckard, through encounters with Replicants. In both films humanity is rendered with modernity - acceptance of secularism, plasticity, and meaningless liberty which leads to a belonging in space and companionship.
In Dark City specifically, architecture and the art of world-making plays a huge role for the search for humanity. It also brings in questions of the designer’s “symptoms” and validity of the process. For example, the Strangers’ preference to avoid sunlight, to John’s longing for the ocean comes at the end of the film when John uses his mind to create the ocean around the city and reintroduce the sun - which turns the city which used to be dark for most of the time becomes alive again. The strangers have been testing each humans under different realities and different settings: from their point of view humans show signs of life under these circumstances, yet they are still living under machines and not given freedom, which is the opposite of Blade Runner. For the inhabitants in the Dark City, they were not given the chance to create meaning and their surroundings. By memories erased, the inhibitors could not see through the carefully fabricated nature of their reality; the city as a machine. On Blade Runner, the replicants’ struggle to survive unveils questions of humanism’s effect of artificiality as well as the world they live in (which is based on Los Angeles). On the other hand, Dark City depicts an artificial world in which Murdoch gains consciousness as a human, and once obtaining it as well as the power to manipulate his environment (the cave), starts morphing it into his vision of what the world should be. There is a scene from television show “Breaking Bad” (Season 1 Episode 3) when a younger Walter White, a chemist, is compiling the chemical composition of the human body, and even when all elements are present: such as calcium, nitrogen, iron, and etc, nothing seems to add up to 100%. Gretchen, his research partner asks, “What about the soul?” Humanity in the modern world of artificiality is become more and more common. Perhaps the more nominal it starts to become, it is also a crucial time to start asking ourselves what we find important for humanity (which is a major theme in Blade Runner), and how we will shape our world for the better in which Murdoch will have to do.
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The Recognizable, Unrecognizable Shape In Language of Post-Modern Architecture, Charles Jencks says that “while a building may stand for 300 years, the way people regard and use it may change every ten years.” As culture shifts, its expectations, sometimes a spectacle or mute, plays a pivotal role in how architecture should situate itself to meet those demands. As history shows, architecture has progressed slowly. The public sees buildings as certain shapes because people invariably see objects in terms of another or a similar shape. Therefore a same building can, through the process of perception, lead to many recognizable shapes. For example, the Sydney Opera House has been called by locals as seashells, flowers petals, and such. The more unfamiliar a modern building is, the public will compare it more to what they know. One might ask how the architect Jorn Utzon might have felt after all the hard effort of persuading engineers, that his building is recognized as other shapes. This is seemingly a paradox for architects, whose works begin with great ambitions but can often be rendered simplistic from the public’s eye. A contrary example to the Sydney Opera House would be Big Donut Drive-in, a donut shop in Los Angeles that has a 20 feet tall object in shape of a donut on top of its one storey shop. A literal representation of an object proposes a new reading through the use of materiality and scale. It is like the blown-up apple of Magritte’s paintings filling the room. While the public turns Sydney Opera House into different objects and shapes, the Big Donut Drive-In asks its viewers to turn an ordinary object into a subject of manner. In Discreteness, or Towards a Flat Ontology of Architecture, Tom Wiscombe lays new understanding of what an object is. Following Graham Harman’s object-oriented ontology, Wiscombe proposes new possibilities for architecture to move beyond forces and networks and into the discreteness and qualitative part of architecture. At large, OOO gives contemporary architects a support for new subjectivity to engage in the discourse. As Mark Foster Gage says in Killing Simplicity, Louis Sullivan’s “form ever follows function” turned function as a force in guiding architectural design, which in conjunction, has turned buildings into a tool. Following the Heideggerian idea, the building then becomes a forgotten background tool, only brought out to attention if it malfunctions. “One can argue that architects of the past century have been unwittingly complicit in making architectural form invisible to the consciousness of its users,” Gage says. Modern architecture has been guided by many ideas and tools, and while architects have furthered the possibilities of functional architecture such as LEED certification, such focus into function may have confused others that architecture should only focus on function. This undermines architecture, and given that majority of architectural history -- including classicism, modernism, postmodernism, deconstructivism, digital formalism, and parametricism -- has been based on a grammar of components that respond to inputs that affect the whole, OOO can offer a new understanding to reconfigure the theoretical foundation of architecture that moves beyond Deleuze and Guattari’s A Thousand Plateaus of ever coming into being to finally arriving at a discrete object-building. Neoclassical movement which began in mid-18th century proves to be a pivotal moment in architecture history. The Architect’s Dream by Thomas Cole, is a painting filled with classical buildings in a fantasy-like landscape. In Cole’s painting one can observe the history of western architecture in a system of periods, beginning with the Egyptians and Greeks. The Architect’s Dream could be an epitome of what architects during Neoclassical period was faced against: Having to reflect and reform historical architectural styles and forms. This is surprisingly fitting to the problem of contemporary culture of social networking and interconnectedness that any architectural cohesive style or movement is unlikely in the future of architectural profession. While OOO cannot offer solutions, it can serve as a guidance to explore deeper realities of what architecture can be.
4B History & Theory / Shape Instructor: Marrikka Trotter
John Soane, one of the most influential Neoclassical architect, resolves the problem of historical baggage by choosing to embrace all of it. Soane’s eclectic way of dealing with past styles allowed him to be versatile and free while many of his contemporaries chose to dedicate their careers to a specific style. Being able to pick and choose styles which usually depended on the client’s taste, Soane’s buildings essentially have no outer shape but the form exists on the inside. However, to call Soane a rebel would only undermine him. In his time, England was undergoing major cultural, economic, and technical changes. Soane and his assistant Gandy often represented architecture in the form of a ruin, signifying a possible catastrophe. Soane felt uncertainty of a possible future, and his pursuit of an architecture that could regenerate itself from within is visible in his drawings as well as his design ambitions. Soane’s works are therefore timeless by confronting it. View of the Bank of England as Built, for example, presents an empty, pristine rotunda at a time that should be filled with people. The viewer is ultimately left with an impression of the movement of sunlight in relations to the movement of time; and in A Bird’s Eye View of the Bank of England presents the Bank of England in a ruined form, excluding any interpretations of the building but what it has become. Therefore Bank of England is positioned as a building that has already passed the test of time. Furthermore, like Caravaggio’s implementation of tenebrism that darkens atmosphere, A Bird’s Eye View of the Bank of England highlights the qualities of interiority such as the “domes, arches, and pottery coned roofs soaring above.” Discreteness in Soane’s architecture is therefore shown in not how it responds to context, but rather uses it in the form of time and catastrophic forces to find independence, exploring the world of chunks, consisting of things that can be held up and closely examined. Tom Wiscombe would support Soane’s design, saying “whole things are made of other whole things and not of parts.” This also leads to the Tristan Garcia’s notion of the “sack” as a gathering of things without it dissolving into one another. Seeing architecture as a container of discrete objects essentially flattens any hierarchy and suggests multiple readings of the exterior and interior. When architectural elements such as mass, interior, surface, and ground are all treated equally but differently, it produces architecture that is strange and interesting. The sack would refer to what Graham Harman calls objects wrapped in objects. Wiscombe says that “things can nestle, squish, or envelop other things, as long as they do not fuse together or damage one another.” This is to prevent the discrete parts to be organized in hierarchical relations. As such, the Bank of England and Soane’s Museum are also like objects wrapped in objects. Bank of England is packed with individual constituents of spaces that signify architectural elements such as arches, pathways, and domes. The compactness of spaces runs throughout the Bank and creates a magnificent tension across interior spaces and in between the boundaries of interior and the exterior. In John Soane’s Museum, shapes and objects such as casts or paintings can be seen throughout the interior space. The exterior of John Soane’s Museum is suppressed inward. For example, there is an implied relief and support through the facade’s surface articulation, making one feel that real architecture is hidden within the wall. The museum is therefore another project that works like the sack, with an implied outer shell. As such, what architects usually consider to be on the outside is on the inside. John Soane’s Museum’s collection of relics and artworks echoes OOO’s observations on the realities of objects. Even a single cast that may seem trivial, in a collective, says much about history and principles that may guide architectural discourse. “It will be more to the advantage of the artist to compare those times and events which have led to its progress and revolutions,” Soane says. If architecture were to digress, Soane’s architecture was rooted on such profoundness that it could regenerate itself. As Jencks says, architecture often engages the public as an appearance of a relatable, recognizable shape. For architects who have great ambitions to engage with not only the discourse but the public, is to look for discreteness that is definitive on its own terms.
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