Materiality and Craft : A Tectonic Approach to Architecture

Materiality and Craft : A Tectonic Approach to Architecture Thesis Book Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Fall 2016 - Spring 2017

Kevin Lee Undergraduate Thesis | Fall 2016 - Spring 2017 College of Architecture and Urban Studies | Virginia Tech Thesis Adviser | Edward Becker

This thesis book was submitted to Virginia Tech’s College of Architecture and Urban Studies in fulfilment of the requirements of a Bachelor of Architecture

Acknowledgments Dedicated to my unconditionally supportive father & mother, To my incredibly patient brother and sister, And to those whom have supported, encouraged, and or positively influenced my personal development throughout my five years of undergraduate studies at Virginia Tech;

Thank you.

Contents

Preface

10

Abstract

12

Thesis

01. Thesis Manifestation

16

Context of Suburbia

18

Materiality, Craft, and Tectonics

26

02. Precedent Study : Japanese Vernacular

84

03. Studies and Explorations

112

04. Project Design Iterations

150

Reflections

Works Cited

166

Images Cited

169

168

Preface The Personal Role of the Thesis

One of the initial challenges Edward posited to me prior to the undertaking of this thesis

was for me to determine the level of personal relevance of the thesis intent. Would the thesis work be an expression of my personal views and perspectives towards the role of architecture within society; or would the thesis be a research opportunity seeking to positively impact the architectural profession as a whole through objective investigation? Would the thesis be a holistic body of work that I utilize as a refined tool to pursue architectural firms within specialized design fields; or would the thesis be a final opportunity for me to explore concepts and ideas tangential to the future work that I hoped to undertake?

After considerable deliberation, I initially determined that my holistic thesis would be a combination of an expression of my personal perspectives towards architecture as well as a focused study on specific architectural typologies that interested me. The body of work would also become a refined tool that I would actively utilize to convey to specific architecture firms the distinct direction and typologies of work that I sought to pursue. However, retrospectively it become especially clear that the physical work, the design process, and the final documentation all carried significantly more weight and personal impact that I had ever originally foresaw.

Rather than being a year-long design project that manifested a particular architectural concept or typology that I enjoyed, my thesis was a dynamic venture in which I explored a multitude of related architectural typologies, materials, and concepts that would later serve to influence and inform my refined manifestation of work. In addition to being an expressive body of work, the thesis process itself stimulated my discovering and determining of specific stances towards design that I would fundamentally integrate as my current outlook towards architecture. Thus, my thesis matured into a manifestation of my overarching perspective of how I perceive and approach architectural design. It will continue to serve not only as an archive of work reflecting this stage of my education, but also stand as an intimate reminder of how my perception of architecture was and still is the result of a continuous design process.

-

10 Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Prologue

Pertaining to Process

The development of this thesis was a dynamic process in which lateral exercises were

undertaken in an attempt to distill the primary concepts of which would later become the fundamental notions for this thesis. A continuity of conceptual interests gradually became apparent through the iterative process, and I realized that the underlying notions of design which fundamentally interested me was a focused perception of architectural details through a tectonic lens emphasizing materiality, craft, and the tectonic.

Tectonic : The Art of Building Craft : The Act of Making Materiality : Relating to the experiential qualities of a given material

Intent

The thesis began with studying Japanese vernacular precedents emphasizing the

role of individual craftsmen and progressed into focusing on contemporary mass timber that manifests technological innovation in wood building materials. The overarching thesis was a personal exploration into how materiality and craft could inform the design and expression of architectural details. A clear cognitive decision throughout the development of the work was to repeatedly emphasize that the goal of the thesis was NOT to appropriate Japanese vernacular building techniques, spatial aesthetic, and or cultural habits in order to implement them into a separate context. Rather this thesis sought to extract a fundamental understanding of a craft-based perspective towards design, through a study of Japanese vernacular culture, craftsmanship, and ultimately architecture, and derive from this understanding a unique tectonic-based approach to design. Essentially, this thesis strives to ask the question of how could an understanding of materiality, craft, and tectonics inform the design of architectural details, and therefore inform architectural space.

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Abstract

A common perception of architecture is that design is a practice of pure

artistic expression in which the architect seeks to convey specific abstract ideas or spatial concepts. The humanistic and functionalist aspects of such architecture often become secondary to the primary goal of artistic expression, despite the notion that architecture has an undeniable social responsibility to individual users and to its societal context. Furthermore, materials and or architectural details commonly become either subservient to the overarching spatial expression or worse; they become residual afterthoughts that convey a distinct lack of attention that fail to reflect the refinement of the holistic architecture.

In response, this thesis seeks to study an architectural approach that

emphasizes the role of materiality, craft, and tectonics within the design of architectural details. It is the hypothesis that if one can garner a fundamental understanding of material craft, then it is possible to design expressive architectural details that manifest the natural material beauty found within tectonic-based architectural connections. The thesis’ emphasis on craft as the act of making and on tectonics as the art of construction are fundamental as the intent is to reveal how an understanding of functionalist processes, at the scale of both individual building component creation and holistic on-site assemblage, allows architects to manipulate and harness the raw innate beauty that in-turn has constructive potential to inform design. A simultaneous focus on materiality as the innate or dormant experiential qualities of a given material also underlines an intended assertion: that an understanding of how a building material is conceived, as well as an understanding of the material properties themselves, allow designers to intercede and create architectural connections that are informed by either manipulated material processes or natural material characteristics.

12 Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Abstract

Through the medium of mass timber construction, the thesis questions

how the design of architectural details and connections can be informed by an understanding of material properties and craft. As an under-utilized but rapidly developing building material in the Western hemisphere, mass timber is examined through the constraints of a joinery-based approach resulting in an all-wood no-nail skeletal system emphasizing rationalized tectonic expression within a structural hierarchy. The work is studied within the programmatic context of a multi-generational family home anonymously situated within the overall social context of Northern Virginia’s suburbia. The thesis’ craft-oriented design approach, conveying beauty, intimacy, and longevity, is thus contrasted with existing suburban approaches asserting economy, superficiality, and immediate gratification. Grounded within studies of traditional Japanese wood craft and various design exercises pursuing tectonic explorations, this thesis portrays a singular manifestation of a distinct tectonic approach to the design of architectural details with a contemporary building material and thus underlines the informative role of materiality and craft within design.

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16

01 Thesis Suburban Context Design

17

18 Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Thesis Book

American Suburbia : A Comparative Setting of Design Approaches

The context of the thesis is set within

the suburban setting of the town of Vienna in Northern Virginia. Without defining a specific plot of land as “site,� the work utilizes the general suburban situation as a social context in which to highly contrast the existing suburban design approach with the proposed tectonic approach.

Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Thesis Context 19

The Suburban Approach

The suburban design approach was

originally conceived with the onset of Levittown developments and gradually became embodied within the contemporary McMansion archetype.

Levittown Initially a response to a spike in the need for veteran housing post-WWII Levittown’s success came from industrial prefabrication with low-cost materials that resulted in the renown rapid on-site assemblage process capable of mass-producing entire communities of inexpensive housing.

McMansions A common contemporary archetype of residential homes that have been highly toted and reproduced by developers as lavish homes for the successful American family Distinguishable by its eclectic architectural components, low-cost materials, and burgeoning volumes

20 Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Thesis Context

The existing suburban design approach can be encapsulated as: 1. Profit-Oriented: cheap materials, with rapid

construction times, are utilized to create

exorbitant volumes of space designed to sell

and resell to all consumers.

2. General Appeal i. Superficiality: cheap materials are

intentionally utilized in an ornamental

and facade-based manner to produce

gaudy compositions with broad

appeal to consumers seeking luxurious

spaces, which are crudely equated to

success and or comfort.

ii. Instant Gratification: single agreements of

purchase result in the instantaneous

acquisition of massive, generally

excessive, volumes of living space in

that truly embodies quantity over

quality. Such homes provide families

with a static framework of living that is

gradually infilled over time, although

American families typically disperse into

smaller “nuclear families� instead of

becoming a multi-generational

residence.

Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Thesis Context 21

“We are not builders, we are manufacturers�

- Bill Levitt

22 Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Thesis Context

Light Timber Framing The typical suburban home is constructed primarily through on-site light timber framing and sporadically supplemented with prefabricated structural components.

Low-cost plywood and gypsum boards are attached to the timber frame and later adorned with additional finish materials such as trim and moldings. A superficial sense of luxuriousness is produced from the variety of decorative surface embellishments, all of which serve to diminish any structural expression of the underlying construction.

Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Thesis Context 23

04.

01.

05.

02.

03.

06.

07.

09.

08.

10.

24 Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Thesis Context

01. Exterior Stone Veneer 02. Waterproof Membrane 03. Plywood Sheathing 04. Wood Flooring 05. Plywood Sub-Flooring 06. Floor Joist 07. Rim Joist 08. 2x4 Stud 09. Footer 10. Double Header

Roof Tile/Shingle (Asphalt Shingle)

Roof

Waterproof Membrane Plywood Sheathing Pre-Fabricated Light-Timber Roof Truss

Exterior Veneer (Brick/Stone) Interior Sheathing (Gypsum/Plasterboard) Interior Finish (Paint/Textured Plaster)

Double Header

Wall

Cavity Insulation (Batt) 2x4 Stud Plywood Sheathing Waterproof Membrane Exterior Siding (Vinyl) Interior Floor Finish (Linoleum/Carpet Tiles/Wood Flooring) Waterproof Membrane Plywood Sub-Floor Floor Joist

Floor

Footer Rim Joist

Cast-in-Place Concrete Foundation Rigid Insulation

1’ 0’

4’ 2’

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Thesis How can a tectonic approach emphasizing materiality and craft inform the design of architectural details and connections?

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Focus Tectonic : The Art of Building Craft : The Act of Making Materiality : Relating to the experiential qualities of a given material

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Phase 01 Initial Base Family

Phase 02 Children’s Growth : Adulthood and Increa

Established Shared Leisure (Public) Space

Established Shared Leisure (Public) Space

Separate Parental & Children Living (Private) Spaces

Separate Parental & Children Living (Private) Spaces

Shared Bedroom for Children (X>2)

Transition of Children into Adulthood: Gradual Shift from Shared Bedroom into New Module

Parent

Child

Parent

Child

Generation 01 : Original Homeowners

Generation 02 : Homeowners’ Children

Parent

Future Spouse

Child (Adult)

Parent

Child (Adult)

Programmatic Parameter : A Multi-Generational Family Home How can architecture and architectural details be designed to accommodate spatial growth?

How can an application of details manifesting materiality and craft address the changing spatial needs of a multi-generational family over time?

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S

ased Independence

Established Shared Leisure (Public) Space Separate Parental & Children Living (Private) Spaces

s

Onset of Grandchildren = Adjacent Private Living Space to Parents’

e (New Addition to overall Residence)

Future Spouse

Phase 03 Grandchildren & Future Family Growth

Repetition of Module Additions (For Future Growth)

Generation 01 : Original Homeowners Parent

Generation 02 : Homeowners’ Children

Child (Adult)

Spouse

Child

Generation 01 : Original Homeowners

Parent

Child (Adult)

Spouse

Child

Generation 02 : Homeowners’ Children

Generation 02 : Grandchildren

Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Thesis 29

Pubilc Space

Private Space

Additional Private Space

An Ordered Multi-Generational Family Home Organized on a 5x5 Grid Shared Public Space (Primary Leisure Space) acts as an anchor for future growth Additive 30x30 modular Private Spaces (Bedroom Spaces) accomodate the family’s increasing spatial need 30 Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Thesis

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Structural Hierarchy A hierarchy in which structural expression demands attention and thus conveys prominence

Roof : Prominent overhead component that encloses an

established plane of architectural space

Floor : expansive horizontal element that encompasses and

establishes the primary architectural plane

Wall : partitions of the established architectural plane into

individual volumes of space

Functionalist Expression of Connections The resulting aesthetic as manifesting the tectonic process in which pieces are interlocked

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Roof

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the beauty within the expressed roof structure Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Thesis 37

Floor

the complementary nature of the expansive floor plane to the rhythmic roof structure 38 Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Thesis

Wall

partitioners of space with subtle tectonic expression Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Thesis 39

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The Role of Craft : Tectonic Processes at Different Scales

The Scale of Construction Assembly The Scale of Material Processes

Industrial Machinery Scale Human Scale

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The Scale of Construction Assembly Manifesting the intentional manipulation of material dimensionality (scale) for specific operational implications within the framework of the construction processes

Process 01. Placement of Foundations 02. Placement of Lower Column onto Foundations 03. Craning of Structural Timber Slabs onto Lower Column-Foundations

Human Scale 01. Foundations 02. Lower Columns

Machinery Scale 03. Structural Timber Slabs

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03.

02.

01.

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Process 04. Placement of Upper Columns 05. Assemblage of Roof Structure

Perpendicular Glulam Beams and Joists 04.

Machinery Scale 04. Upper Columns 05. Roof Structure

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05.

05.

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Process 06. Placement of Pilars on Structural Slab 07. Placement of Floor Panels on Pilars 08. Assembling Wall Panels and Securing Wedges

Human Scale 06. Pilars 07. Floor Panels 08. Wall Panels & Wedges

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08.

07.

06.

Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Thesis Book 49

Cross-Laminated Timber Wall Panel 3-Laminations (2x2 Laminations) L: 4.75’ W: 6” H: 10’

Glulam Column (Top) 6-Laminations (2x12 Laminations) L: 1’ W: 1’ D: 10’

Cross-Laminated Timber Floor Panel 2-Laminations (2x2 Laminations) L: 5’ W: 5’ D: 4”

Glulam Pier 4 Square-Laminations (2x2 Laminations) L: 8” W: 8” H: 1.5’ Glulam Column (Bottom) 6-Laminations (2x12 Laminations) L: 1’ W: 1’ H: 14” Cross-Laminated Timber Panel (Slab) 5-Laminations (2x4 Laminations) L: 30’ W: 10’ D: 10”

Precast Concrete Foundation Cast-in-Place Steel Tube L: 2” W: 2” H” 6” (2” Insert) Foundation (Top) L: 12’ W: 12’ H: 16” Foundation (Bottom) L: 20’ W: 20’ D: 8”

50

The Scale of Material Processes : Designing a Structural System of Mass Timber Components Understanding the technical assembly process of glue-laminated and cross-laminated timber building materials in order to intercede and manipulate the procedures; The purpose being to create prefabricated building components that manifest innate fabrication procedures as positive, influential factors in the design of original connections and details.

Material properties and fabrication thus informs, instead of hinders.

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Material Process Craft defined as the Act of Making Design as an intrinsic act of making Design as Craft

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constructing the floor panel layers

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glue-laminating the upper column

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glue-laminating the lower column-to-foundation component

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connection detail informed by material properties from fabrication

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The Components : 1:2 Detail Fragments 01 : A manifestation of the informative role

of materiality and craft 02 : An exercise in understanding the

significance of the designed

fabrication procedures through

first-hand experience

Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Thesis 57

The Foundation Compositions of extruded steel and concrete Singular directionality to complement verticality of columns The moment in which the timber construct materially transitions and touches the earth

Functionality A material divide: a separation of wood and concrete through steel Vertical steel embedded into glulam lower column mortises The flat base buried beneath the ground: an elevation of timber above the earth

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The Column The downward extension of the roof that joins the roof and the floor A repeated vertical element that accompanies the overhead system in creating a unifying structural rhythm

Functionality Glulaminated layers of timber that provide a framework for partitions and floor panels Integrated prefabricated joints act as the receiving base for the connection of other components A separation of holistic column into upper and lower components informed by the intended construction process (foundation-lower column-slab-uppercolumn)

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The Structural Slab Thick and expansive CLT panels acting as the structural plane of the timber architecture Dimensionally designed to maximum domestic factory capabilities; existing at the scale of industrial machinery

Functionality 5-Layers of cross laminated timber rest upon point foundations elevating it from the earth Integrated edge mortises secure column components together Massive timber slabs support elevated floor panels with countless piers secured into their surface

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The Elevated Floor Panel Individual panels assembled together create a uniform surface with horizontal directionality emphasized by parallel surface laminates Surface uniformity faintly interrupted by exposed pilar points expressing the points of intersection between vertical and horizontal elements Dimensionally designed to the scale of individual human maneuverability

Functionality Two-layers of cross laminated timber panels rest upon pilars supported by the structural floor slab Integrated floor grooves as receptors for wall panel connections Panel-to-column connections integrated with the directionality of the panel’s laminates Panel joints designed for two-part motion to interlock with column connections

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The Wall Panel Panels that emphasize complement the verticality of columns through the directionality of its surface laminates Inter-panel wedges express tectonic connection, inter-panel visual breaks, and ingrained verticality Dimensionally designed to the scale of individual human maneuverability

Functionality Three-layers of cross laminated timber are inserted into integrated floor grooves, slid into opposite column channels, and secured with external rectilinear wedges Integrated floor grooves as receptors for wall panel connections Protruding tenons utilize the directionality of the panel’s interior laminates

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Detail Images : Expressing the Tectonic

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84

02 Precedent Studies An initial holistic study of Japanese vernacular that stimulated subsequent questions and explorations of materiality, craft, and tectonics

85

Japanese Vernacular Architecture : A Study of Regional Culture, Spatial Order, and Wood Craft Brief

The original intent behind studying of Japanese vernacular architecture was to

understand the underlying motivations that drove a seemingly unquantifiable beauty within their timeless interior spaces and structures. Although initially approaching the subject with the intent of objectively analyzing Japanese vernacular homes, the study rapidly expanded to pursue an inclusive understanding of the ingrained regional culture and social norms that revealed themselves as fundamental factors intertwined with Japanese architecture. In response to the revelation that a complete understanding of Japanese vernacular architecture would require a tremendous effort, which could essentially develop into a tangent thesis, this thesis sought to establish an brief but essential foundation of knowledge regarding the underlying societal and economic factors before progressing to focus on the tectonics informed by the context. Thus the precedent research showed how Japanese vernacular architecture conveyed architectural details, and the resulting architectural spaces, as manifestations of their social habits, their cultural contexts, and their regional craft.

The Minka

It is without a doubt that Japan is a nation with a historically rich and stunning civilization

whose essence is thoroughly expressed in its culture and its architecture. However, it is especially important to distinguish that both medieval and contemporary Japan is comprised of a multitude of regional cultures that vary based on geographical situations and or societal context. The Minka, or rural Japanese folk-house, is a common vernacular archetype throughout Japan that fully manifests the differing regional factors. Thus, the Minka is the focus of study because by studying it, one can come to learn how architecture can embody the specific societal, cultural, and material factors that inform it.

Ancient Japan was a strict Confucian society that guided the moral and philosophical

underpinnings of Japanese society.1 At the scale of the individual household, Confucianism produced a strict societal standard of filial piety in which family members adhered to rules of respectful behavior based on age and gender relationships. At the larger scale of the community, Confucianism aligned with ancient Japan’s highly stratified social hierarchy that emphasized individuals as having designated places within the overarching community. Within this hierarchal 86 Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Precedent Study : Japanese Vernacular

1. Engels, p. 223

fig. 01: thatched minka roof

Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Precedent Study : Japanese Vernacular 87

society, Minka developed into objects symbolizing the status and economic position of the individual households inhabiting them. Because Minka were widespread among rural areas as dwellings for farming families, Minka manifested the lower-status of dense farming families through its lack of extraneous ornamentation, its construction with coarse materials, and its fundamental architectural forms.

Minka developed from early Japanese shelters that contained prominent gabled roofs

placed on elevated stilts, as a response to combat the regional climates.2 Foundation details for the raised floors vary, but common practices included the placement of wood column structures onto flat stone foundations. As Japanese society continued to develop, these dwellings gradually evolved into the Minka and continued to maintain the prominent roof and elevated floors for functionalist purposes. The resulting Minka highly embody the prevalent societal and cultural traits within the Japanese communities. Like other original dwellings, Minka were originally developed as a means-to-an-end to create shelter and acted as essential living spaces constructed from primarily wood materials. The distinctive lack of metal nails throughout Japanese traditional architecture was simply because of Japan’s lack of specific natural resources and the required technologies to produce such materials during a significant portion of its history in isolation. Similarly, the widespread poverty of the Japanese lower classes resulted in a widespread lack of non-essential belongings that, in combination with stoic moral values, would eventually evolve into a refined sense of early minimalism that distinguish Japanese spaces. As a result of these initial constraints, the early Japanese were forced to capitalize on their most prolific natural resources and their innovative mentalities resulted in the development of a renown specialized social class that would physically and metaphorically build the foundations of Japanese society : the Japanese wood craftsmen.

The Craftsmen

Japanese craftsmen were highly specialized workers that were a respected part of

the artisan classes within traditional Japanese society. What is unique is that wood craftsmen, specifically in the context of Minka, were also directly responsible for establishing the design portion of projects and thus replaced architects within Japanese medieval society as they assumed the role of both designer and specialized worker. Clients would first personally determine the spatial need and the necessary additions in order to resolve them, as well as create a general arrangement using regional mat sizes typically made out of paper and a scale-less ken board. Other details such as door openings, orientation, and supplementary closets were also predetermined by the client family before presenting the rudimentary plan to 88 Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Precedent Study : Japanese Vernacular

2. Engels, p. 105

fig. 02 : scene of carpenter workshop Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Precedent Study : Japanese Vernacular 89

the master carpenter. The carpenter would then be responsible for redrawing the ground plan at a specific scale, for determining the structural placement, and for designing the necessary wood joints that they would later personally fabricate. Although wood craftsmen were responsible for the prefabrication of specialized joints and components, it was actually an additional group of laymen that would later be tasked with physically erecting all the components into the finalized architectural construct.

Because medieval master builders were also master carpenters, successful craftsmen

household were well-respected tenants of society that often shared similar social status as mid-tier samurai households. Throughout different periods of history, carpenters would either work individually in their own shops with their apprentices or would form regional guilds that created local standards for various aspects of wood working. Kenneth Frampton notes that 7th century carpenters were initially organized in governmental offices during times of centralized government, transitioned into individual workshops working under the patronage of the wealthy upper-class, and eventually developing into self-sustaining regional guilds.3 Guilds were

3. Frampton p.18

responsible for imposing regional systems, modules, and standards of which its members would adhere to in return for a support network of local peers.

The Tools

Although there are numerous categories and countless specific instruments for singular

usages, the primary tools utilized by Japanese carpenters include: chisels, planes, saws, and hammers. These tools, which manifest the skill and prowess of individual craftsmen, were specialized instruments that produced a variety of results that ranged from crude initial cuts down to the final detail marks.

“Hand planes are comprised of three main classes: general roughing planes (arashikio-

ganna), common smoothing planes (hira-ganna), and a slew of special purpose planes.� 4

4. Engel, p. 55

Generally, hand planes are comprised of a wooden block with one or two sharpened metal plates inserted and fixed-in-place with a metal securing rod. Singular blades were commonly used until the eventual implementation of the second blade, or a chip-breaker, as the single blade hand plane required a certain level of skill to operate and worked best on mid-to-high quality wood.5 A variety of specialized hand planes were also created for distinct purposes, such as the curved Compass Plane for rounded finishes and the protruding Rabetting Plane for door track grooves. Japanese craftsmen utilized the hand planes by carefully calibrating the protrusion of the blade from the wood grip with small mallets and then by removing layers of fiber from the wood through a strong but steady pulling motion towards the body.

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5. Engel, p. 78

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Commonly utilized by both sawyers, another specialized sub-class of artisans, and

carpenters, saws are another fundamental instrument that were refined and developed for various purposes. Japanese handsaws are unique from Western saws in that they require a pullaction, instead of push-action, to cut. This motion produces a significant difference in that it allows for the cutting of straight but incredibly thin lines as the tension of the pulled saw allowed for a thinner blade width.6 Saws are separated into primarily two different cutting categories: ones with rip saw teeth and ones with cross saw teeth.6 Sawyers would use larger saws, like the maebiki oga

6. Engel, p. 78

or Sawyer’s Saw, to cut raw lumber into the required dimensions or into individual boards while carpenters would utilize thinner handsaws to cut precise joints.

Chisels and mallets are the essential precision tool for Japanese carpenters and are

fundamental in the creation of joinery. With a huge assortment of thicknesses and blade widths, chisels were utilized by craftsmen to produce every type of joinery detail ranging from largescale beam-to-beam connections down to minute ornamental wood details. Separated into the handle, neck, and blade, chisels would be struck on the butt of the handle into the wood to remove material out or pushed by hand across surfaces to carefully shave the wood. With the blade angled on one side and flat on the other, carpenters would strike the slanted chisels and utilize the tool’s angled face as a fulcrum lever to easily remove material. In a similar manner, carpenters could also easily create hard edges of mortises by placing the blade perpendicular to the surface of the wood and striking downwards so that the flat face of the chisel would produce a relatively flat finish. Although smaller hammers were commonly utilized in conjunction with chisels, large wooden mallets were also utilized by laymen and carpenters for hammering together the joints of the final wood components.

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7. Engel, p. 81

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Standards of Spatial Organization : The Regional Grids

Although the presence of architects within traditional Japanese society were largely

replaced by master builders and proactive clients, vernacular design was largely facilitated by the dominant usage of modular systems of floor mats in conjunction with a square grid called ken. The early ken modules developed as a grid system based on proportions of the human body as a means of establishing order and they flourished throughout Japan despite early measurement fluctuations due to an inability to create a regulated centralized standard. Ken, literally translating to “distance or interval,” was a measurement that consisted of smaller units derived from one foot length (roughly 12”) called shaku.8 The early ken grid is particularly unique

8. Engel

in that its actual dimensions were unstandardized throughout Japan and thus varied from region to region depending on the local carpenter cultural and the demographic contexts. Despite the multitude of local variations, two specified ken grids gradually became predominant as the result of social changes and thus came to distinguish building within rural areas from designing within urban sites.

The kyō-ma was the dominant urban system and was developed as the result of the standardization of mat sizes, which later led to the creation of the tatami mats, within cities for commercial efficiency.9 Initially based on the proportion of 1 ken = 6.5 shaku, this organizational

9. Frampton p.26-28

system emphasized standardized mat sizes instead of fixed column distances and thus resulted in inconsistent structural column centers throughout an entire construct. The standard mat for the kyō-ma method was 6.3 x 3.15 shaku, which was more than adequate for a single adult to comfortably lie on. Despite generally standardizing column clearances based on the arrangement of rooms with fixed mat sizes, carpenters utilizing the kyō-ma system would have to account for occasional column discrepancies that arose within specific cases of room arrangements as well as accommodate the need for customized inter-column partitions.10

With the kyō-ma system dominating cities as the result of the standardization of common

mat sizes, a significant amount of rural areas came to adopt the inaka-ma method because mat standardization was uncommon outside of urban areas. Unlike the kyō-ma method, the inaka-ma method was strictly based on a square ken grid where 1 ken = 6 shaku. This produced a consistency of column placement throughout the architecture but consequently resulted in the need for several primary mat sizes, instead of a singular standardized mat, to compensate for distance discrepancies resulting from the thickness of on-center columns. Despite including a multitude of variational mats, the normative inaka-ma mat was a 3 x 6 shaku piece which was distinctly smaller than the kyō-ma 6.3 x 3.15 shaku matt. Despite implementing a fixed 1/2 x 1/2 94 Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Precedent Study : Japanese Vernacular

10. Nii p.10-11

1/2 ken = 3 shaku

0’

3’

ken - Grid System Prevalent Systems :

kyō-ma (cities) : 1 ken = 6.5 Shaku = 6.5’

inaka-ma (country) : 1 ken = 6.0 Shaku = 6.0’

6’

1 shaku = 1 foot = estimated 1’

ken grid, rural carpenters utilizing the kyō-ma method would frequently abandon the ratio within corridor and or veranda spaces as a 3.4 or 4 shaku width was typically preferred over a narrow 1/2 ken or 3 shaku width.7 The ken grid is another aspect of Japanese vernacular architecture that exemplifies how regional culture and craft can become manifested within design. As the initial method of how carpenter-builders sought to impose order and unity within architecture, the ken grid rapidly developed to reflect the regional practices of isolated carpentry workshops as well as the local standards established by arbiter guilds. Despite the numerous regional variations, the kyō-ma method came to dominate urban developments by emphasizing standardized mat size for interior spacings while the inaka-ma method became prevalent in rural areas by prioritizing column spacings. Both approaches revealed the innate imperfections of establishing a rigid ordering system based on either methods and they further underlined the prominent role of the traditional Japanese craftsman within vernacular architecture as the integrated designer and builder capable of addressing spatial and organizational design issues.

Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Precedent Study : Japanese Vernacular 95

3 - mat room

3 - mat room

6 - mat room

4 1/2 - mat room

4 1/2 - mat room

8 - mat room

10 - mat room

Mat Variations

12 - mat room

Inaka-ma Method : Mats & Layouts 1/2 ken grid

1/2 ken : 3 shaku : 3’

96 Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Precedent Study : Japanese Vernacular

1/2 ken = 3 shaku

Elevated Floors & Interior Partitions : Concepts

The elevated floors within Japanese Minka were essential to vernacular Japanese homes

for natural ventilation. Generally, Japan’s tropical island climate included oppressive heat during the summer seasons and intense rain torrents that contributed to the consistent humidity. Thus, the raised surface were absolutely necessary to prevent direct contact with the moist ground and to allowed for air to freely circulate underneath the home. The vast, horizontal floor plan also complements the prominent overarching roof structure as they act as the two primary architectural components that define the interior inhabited space of a home.

Similarly, interior partitions were constructed as light-frame panels that freely slid on inlaid

tracks. Separated into translucent “Shoji” doors and opaque “Fusuma” doors, these movable panels maintained a minimum purpose as partitions of space while functionally maximizing its ability to allow for ventilation throughout the house. Easily detachable, inhabitants could slide open and or completely remove the partitions to allow for air circulation throughout the entire house during the oppressive summer days while replacing them during the winter seasons.

However, these lightweight paper and wood screens acted poorly as thermal insulators and thus increased the necessity and functional prominence of centralized fireplaces within the homes.

The thin panels were also poor acoustic barriers, leading to seemingly symbolic interior partitions 11. Engel p.142-158

of spaces unable to truly acoustically isolate inhabitants from room-to-room.11 This aspect of traditional homes speaks to the societal norm of maintaining a respectful atmosphere of peace and quiet within a household, despite the partitions inability to actually confine noise.

Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis Kevin|Lee Precedent | Undergraduate Study : Japanese Thesis | Vernacular Thesis Book 97

fig. 03: translucent shoji partitions

fig. 04: opaque fusuma partitions

98 Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Precedent Study : Japanese Vernacular

fig. 05-08.

Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Precedent Study : Japanese Vernacular 99

4-5 Person Minka Precedent Analysis

The selected 4-5 person rural Minka, now referenced as “the 4-5 person Minka,� home

of this study effectively embodies the regional social, cultural, and architectural factors that inform its design and truly conveys how the methods of design themselves directly influence the resulting architectural characteristics. Therefore, a rapid but fundamental study of this Minka precedent, and various joinery details, was necessary to create a foundational understanding of how architecture manifests specific concepts, whether they be cultural practices of living or regional standards of craft.

Like other rural Japanese constructs, the 4-5 person Minka is organized on an inaka-ma

method grid that results in a distinct rectilinear plan prevalent throughout Japanese vernacular.

As the residing family within this size home would normally consist of two adults and two-three children, the grid system allows for the development of future additions as the family continues to expand into a multi-generational household. This organizational system proves to be an effective and adaptable foundational that allows the architecture to accommodate for the growth of a family through an additive process in with standardized rooms are consequentially constructed. Thus the resulting architecture, based on the essential ken grid, is perceived as a dynamic sequence of singular volumes that continue to proliferate in an organic growth simultaneous to the household’s increasing spatial needs.

The functional spaces of the Minka are unique in that the primary living spaces are

often multi-purpose volumes and thus are exemplar of how regional social practices inform architectural design. Culturally, the Japanese lifestyle includes the daily practice of removing bedding from living spaces during the day in order to maximize the usability of a room. This results in not only an innate multi-functional capability of living room spaces, thus allowing for additional daytime leisure activities, but also consequently creates the spatial need for adjacent storage closets for the constant storing of bedding components. Specific spaces such as kitchens, toilets, and bathing facilities are typically placed on the periphery of the house and are commonly integrated throughout as the Minka continues to grow. In addition to multipurpose eating and living room spaces, economically stable families typically include ante and reception rooms adjacent to the primary entrance. These two specialized rooms are essential components of economically stable households because of the cultural emphasis that the Confucian society places on the relationship between host and guest. In addition to the overarching social hierarchy, Japanese households themselves contain a strict and gendered hierarchy based on Confucian filial piety that is headed by the patriarchal house head. Guests that are welcomed into the threshold of the family home are essentially always viewed as venerated individuals, typically regardless of class, because of the ingrained moral 100 Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Precedent Study : Japanese Vernacular

Kitchen Closet

Eating

Bath

Closet

Living

Closet

Toilets

Ante

Reception

Closet

Veranda

Recess

0

3’

6’

Minka : 4 - 5 Person Family Home Floor Plan with Overlaid Grid Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Precedent Study : Japanese Vernacular 101

Minka : 4 - 5 Person Family Home Structural & Material Palette Study Model with Ken Board 102 Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Precedent Study : Japanese Vernacular

responsibilities that hosts are expected to convey in terms of hospitality and generosity.

Similarly, as direct access between interior rooms and external gardens are highly coveted, reception rooms are commonly placed adjacent to outdoor verandas to allow for guests to experience visual and physical connection the exterior gardens. Although functionally less applicable on a daily-basis compared to the multi-functional living and eating quarters, the reception room is equally an important space that conveys how cultural practices inform architecture.

The tectonic aspects within the 4-5 person Minka, and within Japanese vernacular architecture as a whole, are truly manifestations of Japanese craft. As previously noted, Japanese Minka consist of elevated floor planes that not only remove the living space from direct contact with the ground but also serve to establish the threshold of the home in conjunction with the prominent roof form. Materially, Japanese flooring are categorically separated into earthen floors, boarded floors, and matted floors.12 Earth floors serve as

transition spaces between interior and exterior spaces and are typically adjacent to entrances or serve as work space surfaces within rural farmhouses. Boarded wood floors are elevated floors that serve utilitarian spaces, such as kitchens and bathrooms, while matted floors are reserved for living or leisure spaces. Unlike Western architecture that insulate elevated floor systems, Japanese vernacular homes consisted of skin-and-skeleton timber construction that featured no insulation except for various homes that utilized wattle and daub. Elevated on floor posts situated on simple stone foundations, Japanese floor systems were a unique composition of interlocking floor beams, columns, and joists that utilized intricate but hidden Japanese joints to fixate to one another. The role of the carpenter-builder is absolutely essential and manifested in this minimalistic but surprisingly intricate no-nail construction.

Fig. 09

Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Thesis Book 103

Floor Brace (neda-gake) Floor Joist (yuka-ita) Column (hashira) Floor Beam (ashi-gatame) Floor Beam (ashi-gatame)

Ground Sill (dodai) Floor Joist (neda)

Sleeper (obiki)

Closet (With Elevation Change)

Floor Post (yuka-zuka) Living Space

Sliding Track (shiki)

Floor Mat Covering

Floor Beam (ashi-gatame) Boarding (yuka-ita) Floor Brace (neda-gake)

Floor Joist (neda) Sleeper (obiki)

Ground Sill (neda-gake)

104 Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Precedent Study : Japanese Vernacular

Floor Post (yuka-zuka)

Japanese Joinery Studies

Aligned with the Confucian society’s general emphasis on ornamental minimalism,

Japanese joinery typically conveyed a misleadingly simple beauty that hid the underlying intricacies and the astounding level of craft required to design and create such sophisticated connections. Japanese wood craft is often viewed as a holistic practice throughout Japan, similar to the idea of grids and mats, although the reality is that variations and specific practices were often tied to regional masters, workshops, or guilds. Apprentices would work under master carpenters for countless years in hopes of learning through indirect exposure and gradually develop their own skill set. Master carpenters would directly and indirectly pass down their craft to the members of their workshop, and thus resulted in widespread variations and or regional preferences for different joints despite sharing an overall catalog of seemingly standard connections.

-

The following studies are a series of wood joints created in an attempt to understand

how and why certain joints were created. Similarly, a parallel purpose was to begin to gather a personal fundamental basis of understanding in how connections could be designed within the context of an interlocking tectonic approach.

A necessary distinction to be made within the joinery studies is the intentional use

of modern tools. Although an ample amount of time was dedicated to understanding the Japanese craftsmen and their traditional tools, a conscious decision was made to utilize a combination of machinery in addition to hand tools. This decision was founded on the notion that the future thesis work would be pursued within a contemporary context; thus it would be necessary to implement work flows, tools, and building materials appropriate to its temporal and geographical context.

-

Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Precedent Study : Japanese Vernacular 105

The Mortise and Tenon

The mortise and tenon is a fundamental joint with numerous variations that are often

the basis of other intricate connections. The mortise is the void opening or slot within one wood member while the tenon is the protruding component inserted into the mortise. They are utilized as either connections extending in an axial direction (IE. Vertical foundation and column connections) or as connections changing the direction of the structural axis (IE. Beam and column connections).

As one of the basic joinery types, numerous variations have been developed including

full blind mortise and tenons, which completely conceal the connection within the wood, and other complex joints which fundamentally incorporate the concept of the mortise and tenon connection. Typically, mortises are hand chiseled with a combination of chisel sizes while tenons are often first rough sawed before producing its surface finish with chisels. As a result of the carpenter’s individual skill, mortise and tenon connections fit perfectly snug and often only rely on friction for the components to remain connected. However, it is also common for carpenters to add an additional wood pin or a third interlocking piece to secure the connection.

mortise

tenon

106 Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Precedent Study : Japanese Vernacular

Blind Mortise and Tenon A simple, friction-based connection between two separate wood components connected with an insertion motion. The mortise, which is not cut entirely through the vertical component, completely conceals the inserted mortise.

Construction Process 1. Mark mortise

3. Mark tenon

2. Rough cut mortise with mill

4. Rough cut tenon with band saw

5. Square and finish surfaces with chisel for tight fit

Pinned Mortise and Tenon A variation of the blind mortise and tenon, the pinned mortise and tenon differs in the addition of a wood pin to mechanically secure the two components. Additionally, the mortise features a cut through the entire vertical component to reveal the face of the tenon, which has also been cut back from every edge.

Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Precedent Study : Japanese Vernacular 107

The Dovetail

Similar to the mortise and tenon, the dovetail is another fundamental joint with numerous

variations that are often the basis of other intricate connections. Dovetail joints are primarily end joints utilized for extending a connection in an axial direction. Inserted with a vertical pushing motion, the dovetail is unique in that its slanted head prevents it from being removed in a horizontal direction. Additional adjustments to the fundamental dovetail are common as carpenters sought to further strengthen the innate weaknesses of the joint. Dovetails are especially common throughout all scales of traditional connections, ranging from repeated dovetail edges that connect the corners of ornamental boxes to perpendicular beam-tocolumn connections.

female piece

male piece

108 Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Precedent Study : Japanese Vernacular

Half-lapped Dovetail A variation of the dovetail, the half-lapped dovetail includes a half-lap addition that compensates for the original joint’s moment weakness and thus strengthens the overall connection.

Construction Process 1. Mark male piece

4. Mark female piece

7. Cut half-lap on female piece with dado

2. Rough cut dovetail head with

5. Remove rough volume of dovetail

blade

mortise with drill press

8. Chisel imperfections until male

band saw 3. Cut half-lap with dado blade

6. Chisel finish dovetail mortise

and female pieces fit tightly

corners and edges

Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Precedent Study : Japanese Vernacular 109

The Sashiawase The Sashiawase joint is a unique connection that is utilized for both ornamental and functional purposes. Consisting of two nuki boards, a post, and two wedges, the Sashiawase joint utilizes two wedges to secure two connecting horizontal nuki boards within a mortise of a column. This connection is typically utilized to create wattle and daub walls, in which wood lathes would be attached to the nuki and covered with thick mud to create an exterior wall.

Although the pursued sashiawase joint portrays a connection within an axial direction, variations of the sashiawase also include pins and or additional nuki to create four-way perpendicular connections.

left nuki (fragment)

right nuki (fragment)

wedges

110 Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Precedent Study : Japanese Vernacular

The Sashiawase A right angle joint that connects two nuki boards within a mortised post. In addition to two end joints on the nuki that interlock and are laterally secured by the post, two wedges are inserted above the nuki boards to prevent vertical movement.

Construction Process 1. Mark post mortise

4. Mark nuki end connections

7. Mark and cut wedges

2. Rough cut post mortise with mill

5. Rough cut with band saw

8. Chisel imperfections until nuki and

3. Square mortise edges with chisel

6. Chisel finish nuki end

wedges interlock tightly within post

connections

Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Precedent Study : Japanese Vernacular 111

The Kanawatsugi The Kanawatsugi joint is a unique variation of the scarf joint, which interlock with one fluid motion, that includes a half blind tenon with a rabbetted dado cut. Consisting of two end joints the flat Kanawatsugi is designed to connect through a vertical motion before a horizontal motion interlocks the two primary components. A small pin is then inserted into a revealed middle mortise to completely lock the connection, creating a strong joint that is designed to prevent moment and axial movement. Thus, the Kanawatsugi is a capable joint that is often utilized in connecting vertical components, such as columns to post foundations, or for interlocking horizontal structures such as beams.

male piece 112 Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Precedent Study : Japanese Vernacular

female piece

The Kanawatsugi A thoroughly designed connection, the Kanawatsugi has abilities to be applied in both vertical and horizontal applications as the interlocking members prevent both moment and sheer stress.

Construction Process 1. Mark male piece

4. Mark female piece

2. Rough cut with band saw

5. Rough cut with band saw

3. Square male edges with chisel

6. Square female edges with chisel

7. Chisel imperfections until male and female pieces interlock 8. Mark and cut pin

Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Precedent Study : Japanese Vernacular 113

114

03 Studies and Explorations A semi-linear progression of spatial, material, and tectonic explorations that accumulated into the final thesis manifestation

115

vertical volumetric extrusions

116 Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Studies and Explorations

dissecting planes

Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Studies and Explorations 117

118 Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Studies and Explorations

An asymmetrical sequence of space Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Studies and Explorations 119

Spatial Study An asymmetrical sequence of space A perception of asymmetrical elements: elements as textured planes elements with vertical directionality

120 Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Studies and Explorations

Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Thesis Book 121

Joinery Study: A System of Joinery A parts-to-whole approach to interlocking pieces

122 Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Studies and Explorations

Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Studies and Explorations 123

124 Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Studies and Explorations

Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Studies and Explorations 125

Hypothetical Environment Series Questioning human Interactions with elements at different scales or with environments designed for open manipulation

126 Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Studies and Explorations

elements with manipulated scale

Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Studies and Explorations 127

movable environment

128 Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Studies and Explorations

interactive environment

Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Studies and Explorations 129

Material Study 01 How do materials interact?

An interplay between wood and concrete

130 Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Studies and Explorations

Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Studies and Explorations 131

132 Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Studies and Explorations

Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Studies and Explorations 133

Material Study 02 How should materials touch?

Metal as a mediating material between wood and concrete

134 Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Studies and Explorations

Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Studies and Explorations 135

136 Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Studies and Explorations

Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Studies and Explorations 137

Material Connection Study: Industrial Precedents How are connections mediated?

Sketch series studying existing industry standards between mass timber components Compositions of steel and timber

138 Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Studies and Explorations

Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Studies and Explorations 139

Void Series An exploration of void discovered within the material studies

140 Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Studies and Explorations

Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Studies and Explorations 141

142 Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Thesis Book

150

04 Project Design Iterations The beginnings of the thesis manifestation through iterative project designs focused on spatial relationships, social program and associated site A gradual progression from site as a tangible condition to site as a social context

151

Mixed-Typologies Plan

Residential Density Plan

Town of Vienna Studies Understanding the logic and urban organization of a D.C. metropolitan suburban community

152 Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Project Design Iterations

Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Thesis Book 153

parallel streets

cul-de-sac

154 Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Project Design Iterations

Multi-Generational Design Iterations Iterations that focused on the dynamic social and spatial relationships within the household over time

Transformation of Context A transition from a specific, physical site to a general social context of suburbia

Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Project Design Iterations 155

Family and Architectural Change over Time

Multi-Generational Design Iteration 01 How can architecture respond to the growth of a family?

How can spatial adjacencies establish the relationships between generational groups?

156 Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Project Design Iterations

horizontal adjacencies

vertical adjacencies

Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Project Design Iterations 157

PHASE I Initial

Master Bedroom Master Bathroom

Original Homeowners

Separate Children’s Bedrooms Shared Children’s Bathroom Open Terrace

Design Principles

Shared Space Kitchen & Leisure

An initial physical framework that is designed to become integrated space The addition of living modules for

Open Terrace

increased family growth Private bedroom spaces centered around a primary shared living space

New Masters Module

158 Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Project Design Iterations

PHASE II

PHASE III

Transition

Final

Adult Bedroom Adult Bathroom Separate Children’s Bedrooms Shared Children’s Bathroom

Study NEW Master Bedroom NEW Master Bathroom

Shared Children’s Bathroom Separate Children’s Bedrooms Adult Bathroom Adult Bedroom

New Module (Without Children’s Living Spaces)

Development of Children’s Living Spaces

Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Project Design Iterations 159

㄀⼀㐀ᴠ 㴀 ㄀ᤠ

the physical placement of space onto a specific suburban site

160 Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Project Design Iterations

Multi-Generational Design Iteration 02 The distancing and removal of the architecture from a specific, physical site An increased focus on intended tectonic processes and spatial consequences

Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Project Design Iterations 161

162 Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Project Design Iterations

identifying the relationship between scale and process within assembly

Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Project Design Iterations 163

164 Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Project Design Iterations

Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Project Design Iterations 165

Reflections

As previously stated, the progression of this thesis was a semi-linear

development in which studies and explorations were undertaken in an accumulative manner. The final thesis work presented in the initial section of this book was not only the holistic manifestation of the overarching focus on materiality, craft, and tectonics, but also the cumulative development of the preceding bodies of work throughout the year. Similarly, the thesis process as a whole was also fundamental to the determining and refinement of my personal outlook on architecture prior to my initiation into the practicing environment. As I begin to pursue a development of my architectural perspectives and skill-sets within the professional field, this body of work will serve as a permanent reminder of how my understanding, mindset, and ultimately enjoyment of architecture was the result of the continuous, iterative process known as design.

Architectural design is seldom ever deemed complete, even if the

architectural design and final construction ceases. In a similar fashion, I believe that a healthy and holistic thesis not only strives to answer the initial outlined questions but also continues to stimulate additional questions and conversations.

Thus, several questions continue to persist despite the thesis’ formal conclusion:

166 Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Reflections

How can the material and craft-based tectonic approach applied to the skeletal structure of the multi-generational family home inform the design of the exterior skin of the same building?

Conceiving a holistic work of architecture that completely embodies the tectonic approach portrayed in the thesis. Does the exterior skin continue to literally manifest the materiality of the interior skeleton or does it intentionally break to further relate to a specific social context?

What is the full range of spatial and architectural consequences within the manifested architecture?

Further focusing on the embodied experiential qualities of the resulting architectural details and space. How does someone living within this space truly experience it as time progresses? Truly understanding the temporal and spatial implications of an architecture intended for longevity through the lens of its inhabitant.

What are the implications and consequences when the overarching thesis question is applied to a broader spectrum of materials?

Because the thesis is a specific embodiment of the overarching question, there is significant potential for further conversation and inquiries regarding the overarching thesis question when studied within different material contexts.

How could changing the primary material, or materials, would produce original architectural details and connections that manifest the fundamental materiality, craft, and tectonics of the new material?

And finally; how can this newfound understanding of the informative potential of materiality,

craft, and tectonics guide my future progression within the field of architecture?

Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Reflections 167

Works Cited Carver, Norman F., Jr. Form and Space of Japanese Architecture. Shokokusha, Tokyo, 1955.

Carver, Norman F. Japanese Folkhouses. Kalamazoo, MI: Documant, 1984. Print.

Engel, Heinrich. The Japanese House: A Tradition for Contemporary Architecture. Rutland, VT:

Charles E. Tuttle, 1964. Print.

Ford, Edward R. The Architectural Detail. New York: Princeton Architectural, 2011. Print.

Frampton, Kenneth. Japanese Building Practice : From Ancient Times to the Meiji Period. New

York, Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1997.

Ikegami, Kōsanjin, and Barbara B. Stephan. Japanese Bookbinding: Instructions from a Master Craftsman. Weatherhill, New York, 1986.

Locher, Mira, Kengo Kuma, and Ben Simmons. Traditional Japanese Architecture: An Exploration

of Elements and Forms. Tokyo: Tuttle, 2010. Print.

Nii, Koichi Paul., Hideo Satō, Yasuo Nakahara, and Hideo Sato. The Complete Japanese Joinery.

Point Roberts, WA: Hartley & Marks, 1995. Print.

Pfeiffer, Bruce B., and Futagawa, Yukio. Frank Lloyd Wright Usonian Houses. Tokyo: A.D.A Edita,

2002. Print Seike, Kiyoshi, Yuriko Yobuko, and Rebecca Davis M. The Art of Japanese Joinery. New York: J.

Weatherhill, 1977. Print.

Sennett, Richard. The Craftsman. New Haven: Yale UP, 2009. Print.

Sergeant, John. Frank Lloyd Wright’s Usonian Houses: the Case for Organic Architecture. New

York: Whitney, 1976. Print Tanizaki, Jun’ichirō. In Praise of Shadows. New Haven, Conn., Leete’s Island Books, 1977.

Zwerger, Klaus. Wood and Wood Joints: Building Traditions of Europe and Japan. Basel:

Birkhauser, 1997. Print.

168 Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Works Cited

Image Citations The following citations are provided for precedent images studied and extracted from other sources. Images are listed in chronological order.

All other images within this book are original creations of the author.

Fig. 00. Frampton, Kenneth. Two-man frame-saw (oga) used for ripsawing lumber as shown in the

Sanjuniban shokunin utawase, ca 1500. (Coaldrake; Tools and Japanese Architecture:

The Way of the Carpenter). 1997. Japanese Building Practice : From Ancient Times to the

Meiji Period. New York, Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1997. Page 27, Figure 7-2. Scanned Sketch.

Fig. 01. Sadao Hibi. Straw-theatched roof and munekazari (crest decoration) of a private

residence, Shuzan (Wakasa, Fukui). 1987. Japanese Detail : Architecture. San Francisco,

Chronicle Books, 1989. Page 20, Figure 16. Photograph.

Fig. 02. Heinrich Engel. The carpenter. 1964. The Japanese House: A Tradition for

Contemporary Architecture. Rutland, VT: Charles E. Tuttle, 1964. Print. Page 177, Plate 4.

Fig. 03. Sadao Hibi. Shoji (sliding paper door) and ranma with a folding-fan shape (Osaka). 1987.

Japanese Detail : Architecture. San Francisco, Chronicle Books, 1989. Page 186, Figure

153. Photograph.

Fig. 04. Mira Locher. Sprea Room seen from the Second Room of the Old Shoin. Traditional

Japanese Architecture: An Exploration of Elements and Forms. Tokyo: Tuttle, 2010. Print.

Page 102. Photograph.

Fig. 05-08. Norman Carver. Form and Space of Japanese Architecture. Shokokusha, Tokyo, 1955.

Page 171. Photographs.

Fig. 09. Heinrich, Engel. Details of typical foundations. 1964. The Japanese House: A Tradition for

Contemporary Architecture. Rutland, VT: Charles E. Tuttle, 1964. Print. Page 111, Figure 23.

Kevin Lee | Undergraduate Thesis | Image Citations 169

Materiality and Craft : A Tectonic Approach to Architecture