MarchII, Summer-2002; 8 Steps

Alberti, Sandro; 8 Steps; 3 October, 2002 [text21]

Some of UCLA A+UD’s ‘Best of MArchII, Summer-2002’.

Implemented steps; a new urban context.

Once again I have sent my searchbot out to a local design school, to retrieve the latest trends. Here’s what it got, filtered from the best work of MarchII students (UCLA A+UD) in their first, Summer, term:

1. Buildings defined by a series of irregular bays. A resulting irregular façade gains further complexity (and interstitial inside-outside spacing) when wrapped by a façade that follows its own rhythm.

Step 1: sections + facade.

2. Facades consisting of multi-partite ‘skin fields’. Aperture, enclosure, and multi-level structure fields interweave.

Step 2: multi-partite facade.

3. Openings in facades defined by ‘pushes’, rather than ‘punctures. Resulting ‘pleats’ can lead to new program on the façade.

Step 3: wrinkles and apertures.

4. Fluid structural walls define building cores.

Step 4: fluid core.

5. Buildings defined as spaces in between folded facades. The resulting architecture can be made much more complex, through the interweaving of diverse folded/ fluid surfaces.

Step 5: folded negative space.

6. Topographic floors and ceilings, leading to ‘stalactite-stalagmite’ relationships.

Step 6: topography.

7. Fluid elements used as building blocks.

Step 7: fluid modules.

8. Connection of vertical surfaces via modular openings and links.

Step 8: void linkage.