24
{core} Approach
A r c h i t e c t u r e a t Wa s h i n g t o n University in St. Louis Architec ture i s taug ht in the S am Fox S cho ol of D e sig n & Vi su al Ar t s at Wa s h i n g t o n U n i v e r s i t y i n S t . L o u i s b o t h a t t h e u n d e r g r a d u a t e l e v e l , i n t h e College of Architecture, and at the graduate level, in the Graduate School of Architecture & Urban Design. Th e C o l l e g e o f A r c h i t e c t u r e h a s p i o n e e r e d a n u n d e r g r a d u a t e c o u r s e o f s t u d y that integrates architecture with the liberal arts, allowing students to acquire a r i g o r o u s d e s i g n e d u c a t i o n w h i l e e x p l o r i n g o t h e r a c a d e m i c a r e a s . Th e C o l l e g e equally emphasizes making by hand and computer-aided design, allowing s t u d e n t s t o g a i n e x p e r i e n c e i n a w i d e a r r a y o f m e d i a . Th e C o l l e g e o ff e r s t w o m a j o r d e g r e e s , w h i c h a r e i d e n t i c a l i n t h e fi r s t t h r e e y e a r s a n d t h e n d i v e r g e i n t h e f o u r t h y e a r. Th e B a c h e l o r o f S c i e n c e i n A r c h i t e c t u r e ( B S ) e n t a i l s a d v a n c e d c o u r s e w o r k i n a r c h i t e c t u r e d u r i n g t h e s e n i o r y e a r, i n c l u d i n g a n u p p e r - l e v e l d e s i g n studio focused on building design and courses in structures, architectural h i s t o r y, u r b a n i s s u e s , t e c h n o l o g y, a n d e nv i r o n m e nt a l s y s t e m s . Th e B a c h e l o r o f A r t s i n A r c h i t e c t u r e ( B A ) o ff e r s fl e x i b i l i t y i n t h e s e n i o r y e a r, a l l o w i n g s t u d e n t s t o c h o o s e a d d i t i o n a l a r c h i t e c t u r e d e s i g n s t u d i o s o r to pursue courses in other areas, including arts and sciences, business, and engineering. B o t h p r o g r a m s p r e p a r e s t u d e n t s t o m o v e o n t o a m a s t e r ’s d e g r e e , p u t t i n g t h e m o n t r a c k f o r l e a d e r s h i p p o s i t i o n s i n a r c h i t e c t u r e a n d o t h e r r e l a t e d fi e l d s . A l s o available are minors in landscape architecture, urban design, and architectural h i s t o r y, a l l o w i n g f o r s p e c i a l i z e d s t u d i e s t h at p r e p a r e f o r a w i d e r a n g e o f creative practices.
{core} Approach
P u b l i s h e r Wa s h i n g t o n U n i v e r s i t y i n S t . L o u i s S am Fox S cho ol of D e s i g n & Visu a l Ar t s College of Architecture
E d i t o r i a l
B o a r d
Elisa Kim Sung Ho Kim Igor Marjanović Jane Neidhardt
E d i t o r Jane Neidhardt
D e s i g n e r Elisa Kim
C o v e r Marina Archangeli Model: piano wire, basswood, and prismatic film S e m e s t e r Tw o : A i r ( s p r i n g 2 0 1 2 )
Š 2 0 1 5 Wa s h i n g t o n U n i v e r s i t y i n S t . L o u i s . All rights reser ved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without p e r m i s s i o n o f t h e p u b l i s h e r.
{core} Approach Approach documents the pedagogical, cultural, and intellectual life of the College of Architecture. Each thematic issue focuses on a particular aspect of the undergraduate programs, providing a snapshot of the educational approach, visual language, and larger experimental ethos that permeate the College. Issue number 24, {Core} Approach, focuses on the sequence of foundational studios, examining their discrete themes, connections, and shared design sensibilities. It showcases a selection of student projects created between fall 2012 and spring 2015.
1
Proj e c t s
by :
A l e x a n d e r
A g n e w
M i r i a m
A l e x a n d r o f f
M a r i n a
A r c h a n g e l i
J u n
B a e
C a r o l i n e
B r e w e r
M a t t h e w
B r i c e
E l i z a b e t h Q i n
Y e
B r o w n
C h e n
A l e x a n d e r S o p h i e A r i a
C l o u s e r
D o n t a
G r i f f i n
T a y l o r
H a l a m k a
C h a r l e s
H a r t
A n t h o n y
H a u n
S a m u e l
L e d e r
R a c h e l
L e F e v r e
M o r i t z
L e h n e r
A l e x a n d r a R u t h
B l a i r
A d r i e n n e E t h a n
B i j a n
P e a r c e
R e d d i n
T h o r n y c r o f t
C l a i r e
T i a n
H y u n - J i
M o
M o y e r s
P o h
C a r r i c k
M e o
M e i
Y a n g
Z h a n g Z h o u
CONTENTS {core} Introductions D e a n’s I n t r o d u c t i o n Bruce Lindsey
07
C h a i r ’s N o t e s Igor Marjanović
09
Architecture as Social Contract Sung Ho Kim
11
{core} Projects S e meste r
O ne
Grou n d Observatory
1 5
S e meste r
Two
Ai r Flight of Icarus
2 7
L i g ht Urban Chapel / Play g round
3 9
S e meste r
T hree
S e meste r
Four
C li m ate Ve r t i c a l G r e e n h o u s e
5 1
S e meste r
Five
Water Environmental Station
6 3
School Culture Sy mposium
Re v ie w
Wo m e n i n A r c h i t e c t u r e 1974 | 2014
76
Work shop
Re v ie w
2015 Laskey Charrette: To y s f o r E l e p h a n t s
78
E x hibition
Re v ie w
Drawing Ambience: Alvin Boyarsky and the Architectural Association
80
Peter Eisenman: C l o s e R e a d i n g A r c h i t e c t u r e To d a y
82
Daniel Libeskind: The Future of Cities
84
L ec ture
Re v ie w s
School Reads What
Are
Yo u
Reading ?
Faculty
88
{core} Introductions
Approach 24
DEAN’ S INTRODU CT ION Br uce Lind s e y D e a n , C o l l e g e o f Ar c h i t e c t u r e | G r a d u a t e S c h o o l o f Ar c h i t e c t u r e & Ur b a n D e s i g n E. Desmond Lee Professor of Community Collaboration
In 1959 the faculty of the College of A r c h i t e c t u r e a t Wa s h i n g t o n Un i v e r s i t y in St. Louis made a change that some said would doom the School. They changed the five-year undergraduate professional degree structure to a four-year preprofessional degree coupled with a two-year graduate professional degree. The change to the structure was based on a powerful idea that remains the core of the program today : architectural education requires a strong liberal arts foundation to support professional studies. This structure, called 4 + 2, is now used in more than half of all architecture p r o g r a m s i n t h e Un i t e d S t a t e s a n d w a s the model for the 3 + 2 structure that has b ecome the standard in Europ e. Liberal arts, liberalia studia, are those subjects that allow for participation in civic life and public debate—the opposite of ser vile or mechanical studies related to vocational training. The educational philosopher Kieran E g a n i n h i s b o o k T h e E d u c a t e d Mi n d (1997) writes that there are only three models of education: socialization, or education that prepares you to be a part of the normative condition; “Plato a n d t h e t r u t h a b o u t r e a l i t y,” t h a t i s , education based on the classics and the i d e a o f e n d u r i n g t r u t h ; a n d R o u s s e a u’s call to educate each individual to their full potential. The problem, Egan says, is that the three are mutually exclusive despite the fact that most current educational structures attempt at some combination of the three. Liberalia studia coupled with architectural education is different.
Another educational theorist, Donald Schön, writes in his book The Design Studio from 1985: “In the context of t h e m o d e r n r e s e a r c h u n i v e r s i t y, t h e a r c h i t e c t u r a l s t u d i o i s d e v i a n t . It i s a throwback to an earlier mode of education and an earlier epistemolog y o f p r a c t i c e . . . . It i s t h e r e p o s i t o r y o f longstanding traditions for education i n t h e a r t i s t r y o f d e s i g n i n g . It i s a setting for the acquisition of a c o m p e t e n c e t o p e r f o r m . . . .” A r c h i t e c t s and designers practice, while design education is, in part, figuring out how to practice in school. Learning to be an architect is more like learning a sport or a musical instrument than learning calculus or histor y ; it requires p r a c t i c e , o r, a s S c h ö n s a y s , “r e f l e c t i o n i n a c t i o n .” T h e r e i s a n e t h i c a l dimension to this that is critical. Practice done in a social context (be it in school or in the world) makes values public through the intractability of a physical outcome. Practice connects work to a specific place through building, one result being what the u r b a n s t u d i e s s c h o l a r Ja n e Ja c o b s described as “lessons nobody learns by b e i n g t o l d .” I n o t h e r w o r d s , p r a c t i c e i s both how architects work in the world and the way that they learn about the world.
Moritz Lehner Drawing: graphite and watercolor on mylar Semester Three: Light (fall 2014) 06 07
Approach 24
CHAI R’ S NOTE S Igor Mar janov ić C h a i r, C o l l e g e o f Ar c h i t e c t u r e Un d e r g r a d u a t e P r o g r a m s A s s o c i a t e P r o f e s s o r o f Ar c h i t e c t u r e
The College of Architecture, the home to our undergraduate program, is more than one hundred years old. A c o m m u n i t y o f s t u d e n t s , f a c u l t y, a n d s t a f f memb ers, it b oasts many faces, accents, and aspirations, yet it is also just the right size for combining the strengths of both communal and individual study i n a c l o s e l y k n i t c o m m u n i t y. He r e i n the College we know each other well, indeed reliving ever y day the notion of collegium, an ancient term that denotes a coming together of people bonded by shared educational, social, or cultural aspirations. For many years the s erial publication Ap p r o a c h a c t e d a s a r e c o r d o f t h i s b o n d as well as of the innovative pedagogical structure for which the College of Architecture is so well known. Reinvigorated in 2015 b oth to honor that rich histor y and foretell future e d u c a t i o n a l d i r e c t i o n , Ap p r o a c h i s n o w a thematic publication that focuses each i s s u e o n a s p e c i f i c a r e a o f o u r p e d a g o g y. This issue presents an in-depth look at our undergraduate C ore Studios, unpacking the five-semester studio sequence as a series of linked projects, themes, and conversations. C o ordinated b y a s s o c i a t e p r o f e s s o r S u n g Ho K i m a n d t a u g h t b y a d e d i c a t e d g r o u p o f f a c u l t y, the C ore sequence is a foundational experience within the College as well as within the discipline of architecture a t l a r g e . It s v a r i e d s t u d i o p r o j e c t s o f f e r literal and metaphoric openings into a r c h i t e c t u r e’s w i d e a r r a y o f c u l t u r a l production. From flying machines to bridges, the projects undertaken in these studios traverse scales, sites, and us er groups, mirroring in many ways the endlessly diverse roles that architecture p l a y s i n o u r s o c i e t y.
These roles are reflected in the structure of our two major degrees: the Bachelor of Science in architecture, and the Bachelor of Design with a major in architecture. While the former offers an unprecedented disciplinar y focus with a full four y e a r s o f a r c h i t e c t u r a l s t u d y, a n d i n d e e d is one of the most efficient entries into a graduate architecture program or the job market, the latter allows students to chart an independent course of s t u d y i n t h e i r s e n i o r y e a r, f r e e l y combining courses in architecture, art, business, engineering, and arts and sciences. The College also offers minor degree t r a c k s i n a r c h i t e c t u r a l h i s t o r y, landscape architecture, and urban design, reflecting the strengths and focus of the Graduate S chool of A r c h i t e c t u r e & Ur b a n D e s i g n . Wi t h t h e i r d e p t h o f s t u d y, t h e s e m i n o r degree tracks enable students to prepare for a graduate concentration in one of these allied disciplines of design and the humanities. Informing these multiple educational opportunities is not only a concentrated disciplinar y inquir y b u t a l s o a t r u e s e n s e o f c o m m u n i t y, situated within the art deco premises of Givens Hall. Indeed a collegium, the College of Architecture is an assembly of passionate individuals whose design sensibilities are equally matched by their sense of collegiality and s o l i d a r i t y. I h o p e t h a t t h e p a g e s a h e a d conve y this ambience and the creative w o r k t h a t i t g e n e r a t e s e v e r y d a y.
Ruth Blair Moyers Drawings: graphite on mylar Models: basswood and piano wire S e m e s t e r Tw o : A i r ( s p r i n g 2 0 1 5 ) 08 09
Approach 24
ARC H I T ECT U RE AS SO C IA L C ON TR ACT Sung Ho Kim Core Coordinator A s s o c i a t e P r o f e s s o r o f Ar c h i t e c t u r e
I believe in the social contract, therefore I teach. I believe that the university is one of the last places that protects and preser ves freedom; therefore teaching is also a sociopolitical act…. All one can do i s c e l e b r a t e o n e’s d i s c i p l i n e . —John Hejduk The five-semester undergraduate C o r e S t u d i o s p r o g r a m a t Wa s h i n g t o n Un i v e r s i t y i n S t . L o u i s i s d e s i g n e d f o r each student to experience personal transformation in the process of reinventing architecture. The hear t of our curriculum aims to outline the conventions against existing notions of architectural practice and to develop e a c h s t u d e n t’s p a s s i o n f o r t h e d i s c i p l i n e . The traditional system of architectural education manufactures students who are competent and skilled yet often lacking in intellectual curiosity and sense of purpose. The Core Studios provide an opportunity to discover through experimentation and to research creative processes of designing. In the process the program challenges students to embrace responsibility and passion for their own work through the act of making. Semester One explores ground and constructive lines and the program of a n o b s e r v a t i o n p a v i l i o n . It p r o v i d e s a n introduction to the architectural design process and the manual tools and skills needed to articulate complex ideas as physical spaces. S e m e s t e r Tw o e x p l o r e s a i r a n d t h e f l i g h t of Icar us and t he program of a f lying machine. This focuses on making and prototyping in digital platforms through the inventions of f lying machines bas ed on the physics of f light.
S emester Three explores light and spatial organization and the program of an urban chapel or playground. This applies concepts of light and the manual techniques of modeling and drawing to create an assemblage of both public and private spiritual spaces w i t h i n t h e l a n d s c a p e a n d t h e c i t y. S emester Four explores temperature and climatic transformation and the program of an urban greenhouse. This engages concepts of microclimatic strategies within complex infrastructural conditions and mastering digital platforms and visualizations within an urban context. S emester Five explores water and liquid tectonics and the program of a n e n v i r o n m e n t a l o b s e r v a t o r y. T h i s involves res earch into design pro cess es that affect site-specific phenomena and is focused on developing independent thinking in the deployment of multiple design techniques, both digital and analog. The work on these pages developed out of the relationship between teacher and student, which is central to all five semesters of the undergraduate C ore Studios and which illustrates t h e p r o g r a m’s e m p h a s i s o n e x p a n d i n g the knowledge of architectural discipline. The rigorous process of design thinking through making as a sociopolitical act is the primar y goal of o u r C o r e p r o g r a m . It i s t h i s c o n v i c t i o n between student and work that deepens the architectural education and defines architecture as a social contract within t h e S c h o o l . He r e t h e r e i s n o i l l u s i o n o f ideas, but clear vision of the spirit.
Alexander Clouser Model: polystyrene S e m e s t e r F i v e : Wa t e r ( f a l l 2 0 1 3 ) 10 11
{core} Projects The most dangerous worldview is the worldview of those who have not viewed the world. —Alexander von Humboldt Between 1799 and 1804, Alexander von Humboldt, a noted b o t a n i s t a n d e x p l o r e r, t r a v e r s e d L a t i n A m e r i c a , e x p l o r i n g a number of plant species. He documented his findings through text and drawing, suggesting not only the importance of travel but also vision and classification in our understanding of the world. Building on this tradition of inquisitiveness and observation, the Core Studios engage the phenomena of our w o r l d — g r o u n d , a i r, l i g h t , c l i m a t e , a n d w a t e r — b y m e a n s o f design. They tackle these phenomena as beautiful material and visual effects that are connected to larger social and cultural i s s u e s . E c h o i n g v o n H u m b o l d t ’ s d e s i r e t o “ v i e w t h e w o r l d ,” the Core Studios “travel”—both literally and metaphorically— between scales and techniques, cultures and disciplines, buildings and books. Emphasizing the importance of vision and observation, the Core Studios begin and end with observatory programs: Semester One deals with the design of an observatory as a ground intervention in the landscape; Semester Five concludes the Core sequence with a similar p r o g r a m , l o c a t e d o n a n d i n f o r m e d b y w a t e r.
Approach 24
GROU N D : O bs e r vator y S e m e s t e r
O n e
Course Coordinator Igor Mar janović Studio Faculty Charles Brown Jaymon Diaz Carl Karlen Elisa Kim Kevin Le Lindsey Stouffer L a v e n d e r Te s s m e r
S emester One probes the material, organizational, and spatial qualities of the ground—a shared territor y inhabited by plants, people, and buildings; a territor y that is as much cultural as it is natural. Through a series of iterative steps, the s t u d e n t s’ w o r k i n t e g r a t e s d r a w i n g , m a k i n g , and thinking. They constantly move between two and three dimensions, translating their ideas from drawings to models and vice versa. They begin by studying natural patterns through drawing and making, translating them into a series of basswood and wire models. These geometrical explorations then represent a depositor y of design ideas that are later appropriated as potential architectural spaces. The semester culminates with a design proposal for a small obser vator y in Forest Park or in the Missouri B otanical Garden. The obser vator y engages the ground as its main reference, altering it subtly to frame particular views and phenomena. This elevated ground thus becomes an o b s e r v a t o r y, a b e a u t i f u l d e v i c e t o e x p e r i e n c e the surrounding landscape as both a visual and cultural construct.
Ethan Poh Model: basswood Semester One: Ground (fall 2013) 14 15
Wa s h i n g t o n U n i v e r s i t y in St. Louis
S am Fox S chool of D e s i g n & Vi s u a l A r t s
College of Architecture
Approach 24
Studio Faculty : Igor Mar janov ić
Semester One: Ground
Fall 2013
ARIA GRIFF IN
Using folded paper and piano wire, this project transforms the ground of the park into a folded structure that offers alternative views of the sky, providing serial slices of the constantly moving clouds.
16 17
Wa s h i n g t o n U n i v e r s i t y in St. Louis
S am Fox S chool of D e s i g n & Vi s u a l A r t s
College of Architecture
Approach 24
Studio Faculty : Jay mon Diaz
Semester One: Ground
Fall 2014
CHARL E S HART
To create this project, which is based on an abstraction of the undulating edges of clouds, a tool for drafting the arcs in the orthographic drawings was developed. Subsequently, the laminated basswood was cut and bent. The observatory is meant to capture the translucent and ephemeral character of the clouds.
18 19
Wa s h i n g t o n U n i v e r s i t y in St. Louis
S am Fox S chool of D e s i g n & Vi s u a l A r t s
College of Architecture
Approach 24
Studio Faculty : Igor Mar janov ić
Semester One: Ground
Fall 2012
AN T HON Y HAUN
The site plan and sections of this project were inspired by the Missouri Botanical Garden—the people walking around, the plants growing, the flowers blooming, and the drifting clouds—but especially the birds. Swooping, gliding, foraging, and singing, they give the garden its greatest sense of life and movement, and we can observe and learn from how the landscape serves as their urban environment. The structure of this observatory flows in space, weaving through the trees as birds do in flight. The composition of the wire modules was developed out of studies in basswood (exploring curves) and in drawing (exploring leaf patterns).
20 21
Wa s h i n g t o n U n i v e r s i t y in St. Louis
S am Fox S chool of D e s i g n & Vi s u a l A r t s
College of Architecture
Approach 24
Studio Faculty : Elisa Kim
Semester One: Ground
Fall 2014
CL AIR E T IAN
This project’s geometric and spatial organization are based on photographs taken from a site visit to Forest Park and inspired by abstracted studies, both in drawing and three-dimensionally, of lichen on bark.
22 23
Wa s h i n g t o n U n i v e r s i t y in St. Louis
S am Fox S chool of D e s i g n & Vi s u a l A r t s
College of Architecture
Approach 24
Studio Faculty : L a v e n d e r Te s s m e r
Semester One: Ground
Fall 2014
HYUN- J I YANG
Inspired by the majesty of an isolated tree and the dynamic energy of swirling lines on tree bark, this project uses fanning wing basswood modules to reflect how lines originate at one point and disperse at the other end. The observatory is made in the shape of tree branches with a flower bud wrapping around the tree. The levels from which the tree can be observed vary. Viewers on the upper levels can concentrate on the tree’s delicate leaves and intricate branches; on the lower level a tunnel enables viewers to see the tree’s dense roots and experience the tree’s full height.
24 25
Approach 24
AIR: Flight of Icar u s S e m e s t e r
T w o
Course Coordinator Chr istine Abb ott Studio Faculty Cassandra Cook Jaymon Diaz Elisa Kim Kel le y Mur phy Jonathan Stitelman L a v e n d e r Te s s m e r Catty Dan Zhang
In the second semester C ore Studio students move from the hand to the machine, e n g a g i n g d i g i t a l m e d i a t o s t u d y a i r. T h i s phenomenon is illuminated through a studio project that centers on the design and construction of a f lying machine. Students acquire a basic understanding of the kinetic p r o p e r t i e s o f a i r f l o w. T h e y u s e a n a l y t i c a l drawings to study f light, from kites to a i r c r a f t s , f r o m t h e m y t h o f Ic a r u s t o o t h e r cultural metaphors from around the world. Va r i o u s a s s e m b l y t e c h n i q u e s a r e u s e d t o investigate p erformative asp ects of form and material relative to the movement and p r o p e r t i e s o f a i r. T h e s e p r o t o t y p e s p r o b e the interaction of surface and structure with airflow to study various structural systems, joints, and geometries. The final iteration of the kite represents a revision of earlier flying prototypes and is executed b oth through physical and digital mo deling. The project is complemented with analytical d r a w i n g s t h a t d e s c r i b e t h e k i t e’s f l i g h t p a t h , construction technique, and components through orthographic and axonometric projection. The semester culminates on Art Hill in Forest Park, where students come together as a class to test their designs and participate in a collective performance of f light.
Samuel Leder Model: polystyrene, piano wire, fabric S e m e s t e r Tw o : A i r ( s p r i n g 2 0 1 2 ) 26 27
Wa s h i n g t o n U n i v e r s i t y in St. Louis
S am Fox S chool of D e s i g n & Vi s u a l A r t s
College of Architecture
Approach 24
Studio Faculty : Catty Dan Zhang
S e m e s t e r Tw o : Air
Spring 2013
MAT THEW BRIC E
Inspired by the flight patterns of the bald eagle and the structure of the stunt kite, this clear-skinned, aluminum-structured flying machine is a hybrid of the two.
28 29
Wa s h i n g t o n U n i v e r s i t y in St. Louis
S am Fox S chool of D e s i g n & Vi s u a l A r t s
College of Architecture
Approach 24
Studio Faculty : C hr i s t i n e Ab b o t t
S e m e s t e r Tw o : Air
Spring 2015
QIN YE CHEN
This flying machine is inspired by the flexibility of delta kites, which are designed for flying in a wide range of winds. The flying machine is composed of three layers—the skin, the skeleton, and the base support. The skin is made up of twelve cells using polyethylene fibers, a material that is soft, lightweight, strong, and durable. The skeleton consists of a strap-and-buckle adjusting system that allows the wings to expand or contract, changing the flying machine’s wingspan ratio. As the aspect ratio changes, the cells on the surface likewise adjust, allowing air to fill in and push the fabric outward. As air flows into the cells, pressure is built underneath and lift is created.
30 31
Wa s h i n g t o n U n i v e r s i t y in St. Louis
S am Fox S chool of D e s i g n & Vi s u a l A r t s
College of Architecture
Approach 24
Studio Faculty : Jay mon Diaz
S e m e s t e r Tw o : Air
Spring 2013
SAMU E L LEDE R
This kite was inspired by the truncated icosahedron and the golden ratio curve found in dandelions. It was digitally fabricated to mimic the fragile nature of the dandelion as it deconstructs in the wind. In addition to the usual single kite string there is a second string that enables the kite to be pulled apart while in the air.
32 33
Wa s h i n g t o n U n i v e r s i t y in St. Louis
S am Fox S chool of D e s i g n & Vi s u a l A r t s
College of Architecture
Approach 24
Studio Faculty : Jonathan Stitelman
S e m e s t e r Tw o : Air
Spring 2014
MORIT Z LEHNE R
The simulation of an experience of floating or of weightlessness in this device is reflected in its light and flexible tectonics.
34 35
Wa s h i n g t o n U n i v e r s i t y in St. Louis
S am Fox S chool of D e s i g n & Vi s u a l A r t s
College of Architecture
Approach 24
Studio Faculty : Elisa Kim
S e m e s t e r Tw o : Air
Spring 2013
ADRI E N N E PEARC E
This model was inspired by the chrysopelea—a flying snake—and its flexible central spine connected by air pockets that provide buoyancy and lift. The final design appropriates the rib structure of the chrysopelea, resulting in a series of segments that are attached through the armature (or spine) to a central ring. When the center knot is rotated, the entire body of the structure undulates in place, simulating motion rather than executing actual flight.
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L IG H T: Urban Chapel / Play g round Semester Three
Course Coordinator Elisa Kim Studio Faculty Chr istine Abb ott Charles Brown Cassandra Cook Jaymon Diaz Sarah Gibson Carl Karlen Jonathan Stitelman Catty Dan Zhang
The third semester Core Studio focuses on light through a series of sequential projects revolving around the design of a structure—either a playground or a c h a p e l — f o r t h e D e Mu n n e i g h b o r h o o d in the suburban community of Clayton, M i s s o u r i , n e a r Wa s h i n g t o n Un i v e r s i t y. The playground project is situated in a small park and uses the changing qualities of light as the driving force for both design decisions and the resulting spatial e x p e r i e n c e s o f c h i l d r e n a t p l a y. T h e c h a p e l project focuses more on an integration of the symbolic and spatial qualities of light. It i s d e s i g n e d a s a s p i r i t u a l s p a c e o p e n t o a l l yet belonging to none—a center for cultural, religious, and philosophical exchange and for individual and communal prayer of all faiths. As students engage the broad concepts of either the chapel or playground program, the y study and investigate light as texture, material, and spatial construct; scale, relative to the human body ; site, as a generative ground for inter vention; and enclosure, through an articulation of structural and material thicknesses and thresholds that mediate interiority and e x t e r i o r i t y, l i g h t n e s s a n d d a r k n e s s , p u b l i c a n d p r i v a t e s p a c e . T h i s s e m e s t e r ’s s t u d i o develops a deepened understanding of architectural design as a form of social and cultural production by probing the expansive horizontality and programmatic complexity of a given site. The studio nurtures increasingly complex conceptual and critical understandings of design processes through the act of making by hand and the extraordinar y degree of specificity required to engage a site with a variety of spatial, social, and natural characteristics.
Aria Griffin Model: polystyrene Semester Three: Light (fall 2014) 38 39
Wa s h i n g t o n U n i v e r s i t y in St. Louis
S am Fox S chool of D e s i g n & Vi s u a l A r t s
College of Architecture
The idea for this playground began with the potential effect of light on curved surfaces and expanded to encompass notions of fluidity—of light, structure, and inhabitable space in relation to the ground plane.
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Studio Faculty : Elisa Kim
Semester Three: Light
Fall 2013
ELIZ A BET H BROW N
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Wa s h i n g t o n U n i v e r s i t y in St. Louis
S am Fox S chool of D e s i g n & Vi s u a l A r t s
College of Architecture
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Studio Faculty : Charles Brown
Semester Three: Light
Fall 2014
R ACH E L L eF EVR E
This chapel is based on studies of gradations of shade within a balanced composition and is inspired by the paintings of Piet Mondrian. The model emphasizes compressed and expanded space with corresponding darkness and lightness at each end. Focusing on the notion of pilgrimage, it features narrow halls to encourage solitary self-reflection that lead to a high, open, and naturally lit space for collective congregation. Bound to the site by two gestural carvings into the ground, the building allows grass to flow into the central communal space while light channels let in pieces of the sky as well as rain and snow.
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Wa s h i n g t o n U n i v e r s i t y in St. Louis
S am Fox S chool of D e s i g n & Vi s u a l A r t s
College of Architecture
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Studio Faculty : Jay mon Diaz
Semester Three: Light
Fall 2013
CARR IC K REDDIN
This playground is designed to serve as a hub for mixed-use community play. The branchlike structures cut into the ground and are illuminated from below, providing spaces that can be occupied at all times of day. One can circulate around the park at the tree canopy level through elevated paths, which drop into small pools of water for summertime relief and wintertime skating.
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Wa s h i n g t o n U n i v e r s i t y in St. Louis
S am Fox S chool of D e s i g n & Vi s u a l A r t s
College of Architecture
The precedent model for this chapel is inspired by the smoke of incense. Since the smoke shows a gradient effect especially under light, the precedent model utilizes the rod-and-joint system to imitate the irregular motion and the gradient created by smoke. The chapel is designed to merge into nature and let people breathe the feeling of nature. Part of the building becomes a pathway people can walk along, and the rod structure enables people to interact with the landscape. The chapel has enclosed space, which is egg-shaped in order to fit within the curvature created by the rod structure. These spaces have different transparency; the main chapel is mostly enclosed and the second level is mostly opened up to light.
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Studio Faculty : Elisa Kim
Semester Three: Light
Fall 2014
MEO ZHANG
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Wa s h i n g t o n U n i v e r s i t y in St. Louis
S am Fox S chool of D e s i g n & Vi s u a l A r t s
College of Architecture
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Studio Faculty : C hr i s t i n e Ab b o t t
Semester Three: Light
Fall 2013
MO ZHOU
The flexible programming space of this playground is based on the feathering of light by a concentric, spiraling geometry. The structure creates places of rest in the form of benches, areas of shade in the form of overhead covering, and places of play in the twisted transitions between the two.
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CL IMAT E: Ver tical Gree nhou s e S e m e s t e r
F o u r
Course Coordinator Anna Ives Studio Faculty Chr istine Abb ott Jaymon Diaz Sarah Gibson Elisa Kim Stephen Muel ler Catty Dan Zhang
The fourth semester Core Studio focuses on atmospheric conditions and represents yet another transition from the hand to the machine by exposing students to an advanced set of digital rendering and fabrication tools. Students begin their explorations by creating a miniature terrarium, which acts as a self-sustaining ecosystem that supports plant life. They are challenged to nurture their terrariums at their desks for the duration of the s e m e s t e r, d e v e l o p i n g a f o r m a l a n d e c o l o g i c a l understanding of the relationship between space, climate, and atmosphere. These small-scale constructions gradually lead to a final design proposal for a vertical greenhouse in Soulard, a historic neighborhood within the city of St. Louis. Situated on a leftover site squeezed in b etween existing streets, highways, and buildings, the project contrasts the horizontality of the preceding semester by e x p l o r i n g a r c h i t e c t u r e’s c a p a c i t y t o s t a c k p r o g r a m s a n d p l a n t s v e r t i c a l l y. T h e p r o j e c t necessitates a deep understanding of plants and ecosystems through research and obser vation of atmospheric conditions, both inside and outside of built environments. As environmental p erformance b ecomes a vehicle for architectural inter vention, it results in proposals that challenge traditional divisions between interior and exterior spaces, between habitation and transportation, between the weather and the building. In the end, these structures resemble the terraria with which students b e g a n t h e i r s e m e s t e r, a c t i n g a s c o m p l e x environmental vess els for p eople and plants to coexist.
Alexandra Mei Model: acr ylic, polystyrene Semester Four: Climate (spring 2013) 50 51
Wa s h i n g t o n U n i v e r s i t y in St. Louis
S am Fox S chool of D e s i g n & Vi s u a l A r t s
College of Architecture
This greenhouse articulates a space for the dispersal of seeds through airflow, the movement of people, and the digestion of animals, interweaving spaces of production and consumption at the scales of the building, the site, and the neighborhood.
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Studio Faculty : Stephen Mueller
S emester Four : Climate
Spring 2013
ALEX A N DE R AG N EW
The result of rapid prototyping in order to calibrate various armatures for balance, storage, and distribution of water, the terrarium features a self-watering rock wool ballast system that emerges as a type of limited input life support.
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Wa s h i n g t o n U n i v e r s i t y in St. Louis
S am Fox S chool of D e s i g n & Vi s u a l A r t s
College of Architecture
The terrarium was created as a home for Nashia inaguensis, or the Bahama Berry, which can grow as a bonsai or a small bushy tree. The plant hovers above a pool of water heated by a halogen bulb. As the plant is watered, the reservoir is replenished and the water heats up to create humidity for the plant. In order to provide additional light a mirror reflects the bulb, which can also be adjusted in winter to keep the roots warm.
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Studio Faculty : Anna Iv es
S emester Four : Climate
Spring 2015
CAROL IN E BREW E R
The greenhouse likewise uses internally produced humidity. Featuring a running track, it functions both as a place for plants to grow and as a place for exercise. The heat produced by runners contributes to the humidity in the building, generating conditions conducive also to yoga and meditation. The airy nature of the Bahama Berry plant, with its long, leggy stems, inspired the interior where a mesh-like flooring allows heat to permeate the building. The building includes pockets of space where plants grow at varying scales along the track, from small bonsai to full-size trees.
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Wa s h i n g t o n U n i v e r s i t y in St. Louis
S am Fox S chool of D e s i g n & Vi s u a l A r t s
College of Architecture
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Studio Faculty : Catty Dan Zhang
S emester Four : Climate
Spring 2013
ALEX A N DE R CLOUSE R
The terrarium uses the spiraling growth of an air plant as inspiration for its form and its selfsustaining lighting system, water tank, and water pump. The greenhouse evolved around the idea of spiraling circulation. A ramp system houses the main program space with the support structure pushed to the exterior, freeing up the interior space. The structure also supports a secondary exterior skin, providing variable shade for areas receiving the most sunlight.
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Wa s h i n g t o n U n i v e r s i t y in St. Louis
S am Fox S chool of D e s i g n & Vi s u a l A r t s
College of Architecture
The terrarium is designed to maximize light reaching the Kalanchoe luciae succulent; semi-mirrored panels direct and reflect light inward when light levels are low, and built-in fan keeps the environment dry.
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Studio Faculty : Catty Dan Zhang
S emester Four : Climate
Spring 2013
SOPH IE D ONTA
The greenhouse’s modular structure grows out of its site on a steep hill, reaching up toward the sun. Four stories of small pods are structured around a central circulation atrium, creating the sensation, from within, of floating above the interstate below. The plants in the greenhouse mimic the layers of a rain forest, with denser, greener plantings on the bottom floors and sparser, more colorful air plants and bromeliads at the top.
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Wa s h i n g t o n U n i v e r s i t y in St. Louis
S am Fox S chool of D e s i g n & Vi s u a l A r t s
College of Architecture
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Studio Faculty : Elisa Kim
S emester Four : Climate
Spring 2013
BIJAN T HOR N YC ROF T
The terrarium features the umbrella palm plant and the fairy moss Azolla. The container’s wide top allows light to penetrate to the bottom water-surface moss while creating space for the Umbrella plant to grow directly above. The greenhouse is designed in response to both the two demographics surrounding the site—families with children and a homeless soup kitchen—and the site's adjacency to the highway, from which it is separated by a red brick wall. The building concept focuses on growing vegetables to feed the homeless and to teach the children about nutritional eating and cooking. Circulation in the building leads separately to public (learning) and private (shelter) spaces while still allowing people to move fluidly through the length of the building. This open circulation surrounds potting beds at the center of the building, where sweeping windowpanes bring sunlight to both people and plants.
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WATER: Env ironme ntal Station S e m e s t e r
F i v e
Course Coordinators Jonathan Stitelman (2014) Sung Ho Kim + Derek Hoeferlin (2013) Studio Faculty Anna Ives Don Koster Catty Dan Zhang
The fifth and final of the Core Studios draws its technical, ecological, and c u l t u r a l i n s p i r a t i o n f r o m w a t e r. It a p p l i e s e a c h s t u d e n t’s a c c u m u l a t e d k n o w l e d g e o f digital and analog craft to the design of an obs er vator y of environmental ef fects on the historic Chain of Rocks Bridge, which spans the Mississippi River north of downtown St. Louis. The project begins with a series of material studies whereby students develop devices that expose and manipulate tangible e f f e c t s o f w a t e r, s u c h a s s e d i m e n t a t i o n , f l o w, and bubbles. Students analyze and represent these material qualities and site phenomena through models, drawings, and diagrams at a 1:1 scale. They then turn to the spatial and physical requirements of obs er vation, which in turn informs their design of a research station located on and integrated with the bridge on which it sits. Envisioned b oth as a home and a workplace for a single on-site r e s e a r c h e r, t h e e n v i r o n m e n t a l s t a t i o n i s a “d w e l l i n g ” t h a t a c c o m m o d a t e s d i v e r s e h a b i t s and activities of ever yday life. The project aspires to refine an understanding of the role of obser vation in the interpretation of environmental factors, echoing the larger questions of obs er vation and environmental phenomena laid out in the first semester C o r e S t u d i o. W h i l e s t u d e n t s b e g i n t h e C o r e studies by designing an obser vator y in a park setting as a structure situated on and made of solid ground, they complete their C ore experience by designing an obser vator y inspired by the liquid tectonics of water f low and the constantly moving Mississippi R i v e r b e l o w.
Samuel Leder Drawings: digital Model: polystyrene, piano wire S e m e s t e r F i v e : Wa t e r ( f a l l 2 0 1 4 ) 62 63
Wa s h i n g t o n U n i v e r s i t y in St. Louis
S am Fox S chool of D e s i g n & Vi s u a l A r t s
College of Architecture
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Studio Faculty : D erek Hoeferlin
Semester Five: Wa t e r
Fall 2013
ALEX A N DE R AG N EW
This series of algae processors is located in a pooled water condition created by a nearby dam. This location is ideal to leech the excess nutrients out of the river, such as nitrogen, a result of large-scale fertilizer runoff upriver. Through a series of interwoven tubes, the nutrients are transformed into algal cultures and in turn processed into ethanol.
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Wa s h i n g t o n U n i v e r s i t y in St. Louis
S am Fox S chool of D e s i g n & Vi s u a l A r t s
College of Architecture
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Studio Faculty : Jonathan Stitelman
Semester Five: Wa t e r
Fall 2013
MIRIA M ALEX A N DROF F
This observatory is inspired by the movement of sand. Its design emerged out of an attempt to understand the angles between sedimentary flows and how these relationships could form space. The final design is comprised of a stream of tubular structures that expand to create inhabitable space and connect at various points. Its enclosure is defined by an ETFE (ethylene tetrafluoroethylene) skin that stretches across the skeleton. The entire structure hovers above the bridge, attached yet distinct.
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Wa s h i n g t o n U n i v e r s i t y in St. Louis
S am Fox S chool of D e s i g n & Vi s u a l A r t s
College of Architecture
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Studio Faculty : Jonathan Stitelman
Semester Five: Wa t e r
Fall 2014
J UN BAE
This observatory is based on an exploration of the fluid movement of soap bubbles in wind and how bubbles constantly redistribute, shift, and merge in order to minimize surface area. It is a wind-powered kinetic observatory that features a horizontal linkage system similar to the vertical system of the Chain of Rocks Bridge from which it is suspended. Each joint of the structure acts as a circulating axis for tectonic planes, some of which remain static while others shift, overlap, and rotate in the wind.
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Wa s h i n g t o n U n i v e r s i t y in St. Louis
S am Fox S chool of D e s i g n & Vi s u a l A r t s
College of Architecture
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Studio Faculty : Sung Ho Kim
Semester Five: Wa t e r
Fall 2013
TAYLOR HAL A MKA
This observatory is based on ideas about the interaction of people, time, and water. The properties of soap films placed under different forces provide an understanding of adhesive effects; the surface flow and depth of the Mississippi River follow similar principles. The nearby confluence of the sediment-heavy Missouri River and rapid-paced Mississippi create dynamic riverbed conditions where the depth can vary from 25 to 55 feet. Positioned at the point of the greatest variance of depth and organized perpendicular to the river’s flow for optimal visitor viewing experiences, the suspended observatory features a series of cascading floors that change as the river rises and falls, joining people and nature as one.
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Wa s h i n g t o n U n i v e r s i t y in St. Louis
S am Fox S chool of D e s i g n & Vi s u a l A r t s
College of Architecture
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Studio Faculty : Sung Ho Kim
Semester Five: Wa t e r
Fall 2013
ALEX A N DR A MEI
The concept of this observatory is based on the study of soap bubbles and how they are formed. A bubble maintains its spherical shape through surface tension. Both interior and exterior forces pull on the membrane, maintaining equilibrium and resisting interference. The tensile forces that maintain the bubble’s shape are similarly at play on the observatory’s site, which is conceived of as a corridor of sound where tension between noise from the nearby highway and the water below creates the visitor’s acoustic and spatial experience.
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School Culture In addition to the rich offering of courses, both within and outside of the College of Architecture, the intellectual and social life at the School is enriched through numerous cultural events. These include public lectures, museum and gallery exhibitions, and symposia and panel discussions, as well as workshops and other special events that bring to campus a number of speakers from the architecture field and related disciplines. The selection of visitors is guided by both students and faculty with the aim to enrich the dialogues within the School. Oftentimes the invited speaker also participates in reviews, attends classes, visits studios, and is the featured guest at student-hosted dinners. In this way the conversations bridge the academic lecture halls and the architectural world at large. Recent speakers include Jean-Louis Cohen, Beatriz Colomina, Dennis Crompton, Kenneth Frampton, K. Michael Hayes, Mary McLeod, Jesse Reiser & Nanako Umemoto, Saskia Sassen, Nasrine Seraji, Bernard Tschumi, and Stanislaus von Moos, in addition to Peter Eisenman and Daniel Libeskind. Often these events are linked to the public programming of the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum and its curatorial program. Recent architectural exhibitions include Metabolic City (2009), Tomรกs Saraceno: Cloud-Specific (2011), On the Thresholds of Space-Making: Shinohara Kazuo and His Legacy (2014), and Drawing Ambience: Alvin Boyarsky and the Architectural Association (2014). In addition to these events, the School organizes a number of workshops and symposia on a regular basis; recent examples include Digital Desires: Technology at the Intersection of Nature, Culture, and Meaning (2012), and Women in Architecture 1974 | 2014 (2014). The following pages provide a window into some of these events and the ensuing discussions that accompanied them.
Sy mp o sium R e v i e w Alexandra Mei Bachelor of Design in Architecture, 2015 Participants converse during the opening reception of the Women in Architecture symposium. Left to right: Cynthia Weese, former dean, School of Architecture, Washington University in St. Louis (1993–2005); Laura Briggs, Rhode Island School of Design; and Nasrine Seraji, École nationale supérieure d'architecture Paris-Malaquais. Photo by Stan Strembicki
From Novemb er 7 to 9, 2014, Wa s h i n g t o n Un i v e r s i t y h o s t e d Wo m e n i n Architecture 1974 | 2014, a symposium generated by a group of students the year before. This group sought to incite e d u c a t i o n , a d v o c a c y, a n d p r o f e s s i o n a l mentorship among women in the field while also commemorating the fortieth a n n i v e r s a r y o f t h e 1 9 7 4 Wo m e n i n Architecture symposium, one the first such e vents nationwide, als o hosted b y Wa s h i n g t o n Un i v e r s i t y ’s S c h o o l o f Architecture. Bringing recognition to this historic event and building on recent conversations and challenges surrounding this topic—as well as the larger social context of St. Louis and beyond—the symposium generated critical questions and thoughts related to access and equality that many had not considered before. A s o n e o f t h e m a n y, m a n y p e o p l e involved in the pro duction of this symposium, I discovered how per vasive g e n d e r i n e q u a l i t y i s i n o u r s o c i e t y. These issues are not just newspaper headlines or an abstract problem b e y o n d o u r c o n t r o l . We w i t n e s s
t h e s e i n e q u a l i t i e s e v e r y d a y. T h e undergraduate and graduate students on the organizing committee posed questions to frame the panel discussions: Ho w d o e s t h e s t e r e o t y p i c a l i m a g e o f a n a r c h i t e c t i n c l u d e w o m e n ? Ho w c a n we create a more inclusive academic environment? What are the s o ciop olitical responsibilities of women architects? A n d , i n t h e t w e n t y - f i r s t c e n t u r y, w h y a r e we still talking about the same issues? These questions provoked discussions related to the histor y of women in architecture, exposing the often complex, deep-seated nature of gender inequality in our current society as well. While the conversations dre w parallels between the two symposia, they also revealed significant differences. Indeed, the gender inequality issues in 1974 were blatant, with only 38 percent of women then in the workforce and only 7 percent of architects being female. C ompared to then, our current situation—with women comprising half of the population of the College of Architecture, and the American Institute of Architects recently inaugurating its fourth female
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Review
Wo m e n i n Architecture
president—does not seem so bad. Thus the symposium discussions were mostly a celebration of how far we have come. We a c k n o w l e d g e d t h e a c c o m p l i s h m e n t s women have achieved in numbers, the head count in academic studios, and the number of tall sky-scraping buildings t h a t h a v e a w o m a n’s s i g n a t u r e o n t h e m .
t o d r e s s o r l o o k a c e r t a i n w a y. T h e s e are not isolated or necessarily dramatic e v e n t s ; t h e y o c c u r e v e r y d a y.
But how far have we really come? While t h e s t a t i s t i c s a r e m u c h b e t t e r, t o d a y ’s inequalities take a more subtle form—in the way we speak to one another in the s t u d i o, h o w w e t a l k a b o u t a r c h i t e c t u r e , and the residual ways in which women architects are defined not by their w o r k b u t b y t h e i r g e n d e r. S o m e o f t h e subtleties of contemporar y gender inequalities were elucidated not only through student discussions but also through the words of guest speakers. K e y n o t e s p e a k e r Na s r i n e S e r a j i o b s e r v e d t h a t w o m e n d o n o t h a v e a n “a r c h i t e c t u r a l h o m e l a n d” t o p r o t e c t t h e m f r o m i s s u e s on a global scale. And in her ver y personal remarks, historian Mar y Mc L e o d c o n v e y e d h e r e n c o u n t e r s w i t h s e x u a l i n e q u a l i t y e v e n i n t o d a y ’s l e a d i n g institutions. While our symposium was successful in bringing key issues to public discussion, we should ask how much further we h a v e y e t t o g o. We n e e d t o a c k n o w l e d g e the more understated aspects of our experiences, like how the initial group who came together to develop this event w a s s y n o n y m o u s w i t h “t h e a r c h i t e c t u r e g i r l s ,” o r t h e p r e s s u r e m a n y w o m e n f e e l
Fall 2014
I also believe that focusing on numbers or headlining events is harmful to the real issues at heart. Our daily lives paint a different and perhaps m o r e c o m p l e x p i c t u r e o f i n e q u a l i t y. I hope we can continue to probe these narratives and extend the powerful c o n v e r s a t i o n s t h a t l e d t o t h e Wo m e n i n Architecture symposia—both then and now—and learn from the questions they engendered.
Mary McLeod, Columbia University, presents during a panel discussion. Photo by Carmon Colangelo
November 7–9, 2014
WOMEN IN ARCHITECTURE 1974 | 2014 At Washington University’s College of Architecture students have the opportunity to organize events that complement the educational curriculum. In 2013 a group of students came together to organize a symposium, which was held in fall 2014. Invited outside speakers at the Women in Architecture symposium included Sherry Ahrentzen, Kathryn Anthony, Ila Berman, Laura Briggs, Yolande Daniels, Janet Hurwitz, Sheila Kennedy, Mary Ann Lazarus, Mary McLeod, Andrea Merrett, Wendy Ornelas, Tom Polucci, Nasrine Seraji, Daphne Spain, Cynthia Weese, Beverly Willis, and Michael Willis.
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Wor kshop R e v i e w Aria Griffin, Nina Lang, Alicia Morris Bachelor of Science in Architecture, 2017 2015 Laskey Charrette moderators Laura and Rick Brown of Handshouse Studio discuss entries. Photo by Gina Grafos
The 2015 Laskey Charrette was an extremely valuable experience through which we learned about group design, fabrication, and even elephants! After weeks of anticipation, it was a thrill to f i n a l l y b e s i t t i n g i n F u m i h i k o M a k i’s Steinb erg Hall on that Friday e vening in Ja n u a r y a n d h e a r R i c k a n d L a u r a B r o w n announce that the class of 2017 would be designing an enrichment toy for e l e p h a n t s i n c a p t i v i t y. T h e p r o j e c t w a s met with some giggles and apprehension, but as the night wore on and groups began meeting to discuss their approach, the environment b ecame incredibly enthusiastic and upbeat. By bringing i n d i v i d u a l s k i l l s e t s t o g e t h e r, w e w e r e a b l e t o s t r e n g t h e n e a c h o t h e r ’s s t r o n g e s t attributes as well as make up for our weaknesses. Ad d i t i o n a l l y, u p u n t i l t h i s c h a r r e t t e , most of us had only used the wood shop to stop in and grab a tool, but that weekend we learned about and utilized almost ever y machine it has t o o f f e r. Wo r k i n g c l o s e l y w i t h R i c k a n d L a u r a i n t h e s h o p, a s w e l l a s w i t h
their production assistants, we used the table saw to angle our pine boards into trapezoids to form a hexagonal barrel e x t e r i o r. O n t h e i n t e r i o r w e c r e a t e d a round xylophone through the use of wooden keys. In order to make them r e s o n a t e b e t t e r, w e f a s h i o n e d s l i m b o a r d s of MDF into the shape of tuning forks and cut them at a range of heights to make different tones that the elephants c o u l d d i s t i n g u i s h . Us i n g t h e b a n d s a w and sanding belt, we crafted a sphere to replace the traditional xylophone mallet so that in its horizontal position the elephant could rotate the barrel, causing the ball to strike each tone and create a musical scale. When oriented v e r t i c a l l y, t h e e l e p h a n t c o u l d i n s t e a d shake the barrel, forcing the ball to b o u n c e r a n d o m l y, h i t t i n g a v a r i e t y of tones and creating a less-ordered s o u n d . Us i n g l e f t o v e r p i e c e s o f w o o d , w e created a maze in a lower compartment of the barrel so that the elephants could be enticed by the promise of food. The added musical component would encourage them to keep coming back, even after the food was gone.
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Review
Laskey Charrette
Overall our time in the shop was p r o d u c t i v e , b u t w e d i d e n c o u n t e r, a s in ever y creative process, a couple of “ y i k e s” m o m e n t s a l o n g t h e w a y. O u r team worked collaboratively to solve problems and advance our design with creative solutions, such as when we cut our pine boards the wrong width. We d e c i d e d t o r e v e r s e t h e s l a t s s o t h e boards were no longer flush with each other but fit perfectly on the inside and p r o v i d e d a g r i p f o r t h e e l e p h a n t’s t r u n k o n t h e o u t s i d e . It i s p r e c i s e l y t h e s e l a s t minute playful solutions that made the charrette so memorable and resulted in some of the most exciting moments for t h e p r o j e c t . It w a s , i n a s e n s e , a b o n d i n g experience for our class, as we taught each other how to use certain machines or suggested different ways of making e a c h o t h e r ’s d e s i g n s p o s s i b l e .
perhaps we had more time than we had initially expected. The fastpaced nature of the competition as well as the amusing prompt introduced a new energy and enthusiasm into our studio that will stay with our class in our upcoming s e m e s t e r s t o g e t h e r. B e c a u s e s o m u c h of our work up to this point had been conceptual, it was especially rewarding to know that our project could potentially be made, and as Rick so aptly summed up for us at the close of the weekend, it is truly refreshing to make “work that is r e a l .”
Spring 2015
I think we were all surprised at our ability to brainstorm and create a final p r o d u c t s o q u i c k l y. T h e c h a l l e n g e was announced on Friday and design p r o p o s a l s w e r e d u e o n S u n d a y. T h e r e were moments when we felt rushed to complete our tasks—always looking over our shoulders to see how many hours or minutes we had remaining. But there were also moments when we would step back and realize that 2012 Laskey Charrette moderator Kyna Leski, Rhode Island School of Design, discusses entries. Photo by Stan Strembicki
Januar y 16–18, 2015
2015 LASKEY CHARRET TE: TOYS FOR ELEPHANTS The Laskey Charrette honors Professor Emeritus Leslie J. Laskey and his 35-year tenure at Washington University. His bold design pedagogy wove together architecture, design, painting, sculpture, and other forms of thinking and making. For this intensive, weekend-long workshop, sophomore architecture students work in teams to brainstorm ideas for a given design challenge. Their final designs are exhibited and reviewed, with a jury of faculty and guest critics awarding prizes. The charrette is presented annually by Studio L in collaboration with the College of Architecture and Graduate School of Architecture & Urban Design. Past moderators of the Laskey Charrette include Kyna Leski of Rhode Island School of Design (2012), Mehrdad Hadighi of Pennsylvania State University (2013), and Ted Krueger of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (2014).
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Exhibition Review* George
Zhang
Bachelor of Science in Architecture, 2017 Architecture students during a drawing session in the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum. Photo by Igor Marjanović
Digital design tools have become more developed and widely utilized than e v e r, s o i t i s w o r t h w h i l e t o r e m e m b e r that just a few decades ago drawings were the main means of design and expression in creative visual industries. D r a w i n g Am b i e n c e : A l v i n B o y a r s k y a n d t h e Ar c h i t e c t u r a l A s s o c i a t i o n , a sur vey of the private collection of Alvin B o y a r s k y, c h a i r m a n o f t h e A r c h i t e c t u r a l Association S chool of Architecture (AA) from 1971 to 1990, puts a spotlight on the drawings and thinking behind this prime period. The exhibition was co organized by the Mildred L ane Kemp er A r t Mu s e u m a n d t h e R I S D Mu s e u m , a n d c o c u r a t e d b y Ig o r M a r j a n o v i ć , a s s o c i a t e professor and chair of undergraduate a r c h i t e c t u r e a t Wa s h i n g t o n Un i v e r s i t y, a n d Ja n H o w a r d , c h i e f c u r a t o r a n d H o u g h t o n P. Me t c a l f Jr. C u r a t o r o f Prints, Drawings, and Photographs at t h e R I S D Mu s e u m . A l v i n B o y a r s k y ’s son, Nicholas, who practically grew up with this collection of drawings, did the exhibtion layout, together with his p a r t n e r N i c o l a Mu r p h y.
This is perhaps one of the rare occasions where a large number of such iconic drawings could come together in the same physical s etting for public viewing. The exhibition features e a r l y w o r k s b y m a n y o f t o d a y ’s m o s t renowned practicing architects, from D a n i e l L i b e s k i n d’s c o n c e p t u a l d r a w i n g V- Ho r i z o n t a l ( 1 9 8 3 ) t o S u p e r s t u d i o’s c o l l a g e Ne w - Ne w Yo r k ( 1 9 6 9 ) f r o m i t s radical project Il monumento continuo ( T h e C o n t i n u o u s Mo n u m e n t ) . Several distinct voices emerge from the collection. Some show a sense of innovation by bringing together a r c h i t e c t u r e a n d l i t e r a t u r e , s u c h a s Pe t e r E i s e n m a n’s Mo v i n g Ar r o w s , E r o s a n d O t h e r E r r o r s : An Ar c h i t e c t u r e o f Ab s e n c e (B ox 3; 1986), in which he constructed a series of layered maps narrating t h e s t o r y o f R o m e o a n d Ju l i e t . O t h e r drawings clearly inform the conceptual l a n g u a g e o f t h e i r m a k e r ’s c u r r e n t b u i l t w o r k , s u c h a s Z a h a H a d i d’s , w h o s e f i r s t winning proposal, according to academic K e s t e r R a t t e n b u r y, w a s a w a r d e d i n p a r t b e c a u s e o f h e r “ h u g e , s p e c t a c u l a r, c o l o r e d p a i n t i n g s” a n d “s p e c t a c u l a r
Approach 24
Drawing Ambience
Review
w o r l d - s c a l e v i e w o f t h e d r a w i n g s ,” m a n y of which are featured in this exhibition.1 The exhibition also features a selection of AA catalogs, which do cumented many of the drawings in the exhibition, set up side by side with the actual drawings. This allows for a direct comparison and appreciation for the difference in the visual experience of seeing the printed repres entation and the physical drawing. For example, viewers can obser ve the e v o l u t i o n o f a s e r i e s o f L e b b e u s Wo o d s’ drawings, both in print and in their originals, tracing his renderings of fictional cities and political landscapes to a hy brid of ar tistic and technical representations in his drawing Center for Ne w Te c h n o l o g y, Mo n t a g e 1 ( 1 9 8 5 ) . I n t h i s d a y a n d a g e w h e r e i t’s a l l ( o r m o s t l y ) a b o u t C A D, R h i n o, G r a s s h o p p e r, BIM (and selfies, which, according to Eisenman, have become relevant to architecture as a type of expression), this exhibition perhaps makes us realize anew the virtue and personal value of architectural drawings, both through its visual presence and richness and through the dis cussions, symp osia, conversations, and lectures—including by Eisenman, B e r n a r d Ts c h u m i , a n d D e n n i s C r o m p t o n of the Archigram group—that have unfolded around it in person.
Fall 2014
* A n e a r l i e r v e r s i o n o f t h i s r e v i e w, with the title “Back to the Drawing B o a r d ,” a p p e a r e d o n l i n e i n T h e Ar c h i t e c t ’s Ne w s p a p e r , Ap r i l 2 4 , 2 0 1 5 , h t t p : / / a r c h p a p e r. c o m / n e w s / a r t i c l e s . a s p ? i d = 7 9 8 7 # . V X 4 X Pq Z 6 LV 1 . NOTES K e s t e r R a t t e n b u r y, “ Z a h a H a d i d : T h e Pe a k ,” i n T h i s I s No t Ar c h i t e c t u r e : Me d i a C o n s t r u c t i o n s , ed. Kester R attenbur y (L ondon: Routledge, 2002), 71. 1
Visitors view the exhibition Drawing Ambience: Alvin Boyarsky and the Architectural Association in the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum. Photo by Igor Marjanović
S eptember 12, 2014–Januar y 4, 2015
D R AW I N G A M B I E N C E : A L V I N B O YA R S K Y A N D T H E A R C H I T E C T U R A L A S S O C IAT I O N An integral part of the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts, the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum offers a rich program of exhibitions that complement the educational endeavors of the College of Architecture. In the fall of 2014, the Museum presented the inaugural installation of Drawing Ambience: Alvin Boyarsky and the Architectural Association, an exhibition of architectural drawings coorganized with the Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design (RISD Museum) in Providence. After closing in St. Louis the exhibition traveled to the RISD Museum, where it was on view in spring 2015, and to the Cooper Union in New York in fall 2015.
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L e c ture R e v i e w Marina Archangeli Bachelor of Science in Architecture, 2016 Peter Eisenman during his lecture in Steinberg Auditorium. Photo by Carmon Colangelo
Approach 24
Review
Peter Eisenman
When I became president of the Architecture Student Council, the first event we decided to plan was a lecture by Peter Eisenman, in part because of the exhibition at the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum that fall, Drawing Ambience: Alvin Boyarsky and the Architectural Association, which f e a t u r e d s o m e o f E i s e n m a n’s drawings and prints.
the self becomes the other because we no longer have to ask someone else to take our photos. Eisenman also discussed the idea of original thought versus drawing inspiration from the p a s t o r f r o m o n e ’s s u r r o u n d i n g s . In terms of historical inspiration, he talked about the importance of Renaissance architecture in Florence, in particular the ways in which the whole discipline was changed through the invention of architectural drawings and treatises. Speaking about the importance of context, he gave us a walkthrough of a project he designed in Spain, describing how he had found inspiration in the hills and surrounding landscape. So one of the things I learned is that an architect can draw inspiration from a variety of things and historical periods.
I learned a lot from his lecture. One of the most amazing things about his talk was that he lectured without slides for the first thirty minutes. Eisenman also insisted on having direct eye contact with the audience and forbade notetaking, while talking f r o m m e m o r y. H e o p e n e d w i t h a discussion of the selfie, and how
Fall 2014
Installation views of Peter Eisenman's Moving Arrows, Eros, and Other Errors: An Architecture of Absence (Box 3; 1986) in the exhibition Drawing Ambience: Alvin Boyarsky and the Architectural Association, Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, October 2014. Photos by Whitney Curtis
O c tober 27, 2014
PETER EISENMAN: CLOSE READING A R C H I T E C T U R E T O D AY 82 83
L e c ture R e v i e w Ta y l o r H a l a m k a Bachelor of Science in Architecture, 2015 Daniel Libeskind discusses his prints from the Chamber Works series with students and faculty. Photo by Stan Strembicki
Approach 24
Review
Daniel Libeskind
Bringing Daniel Libeskind to the S am Fox S cho ol of D e s i g n & Visu a l Arts in 2013 involved a unique planning process that started long before the night of the lecture, which was attended by a full house of over four hundred people in the University's Gra ham C hap el. He gave an overview of the evolution of his work, with an emphasis on current projects around the world.
display table right in front of us. He discussd a series of his early prints, t i t l e d C h a m b e r Wo r k s , e m p h a s i z i n g the importance of drawing in both his earlier work and in his current practice.
While I felt that the main lecture was as engaging as two hours can be, the most thought-provoking experience was the small session he held for the Architecture Student Council in the study room of the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum. There we heard him speak in an unscripted manner about his process and early drawing work while looking at some of it on the large
Spring 2013
There was a striking difference between his prepared speech and the spontaneous conversation in the g a l l e r y. H e s p o k e c a n d i d l y i n a w a y that would not work in the format of a large lecture but proved to be for me even more valuable.
A v ideo recording of an inter v ie w w ith D aniel Libeskind at Washing ton University in St. L oui s , including hi s ref lec tions on the sig nif icance of draw ing, i s available on the S am Fox S chool website, http: // s amfox s chool. w u stl. edu/ne ws /8502.
Architecture students and faculty view early drawings and prints by Daniel Libeskind in the study room of the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, April 2013. Prints from the special collection of the Kenneth and Nancy Kranzberg Art & Architecture Library. Photos by Stan Strembicki
Apr il 2, 2013
DANIEL LIBESKIND: THE FUTURE OF CITIES 84 85
School Reads Architects are designers but also readers. These vignettes provide a snapshot of books that various faculty members are currently reading. Ranging from historical to contemporary topics-including environmental, social, and cultural issues around the world-these texts provide important intellectual underpinnings for architectural education and practice. The breadth of their topics also reflects the broad nature of Washington University's undergraduate program, uniquely positioned in between architecture's disciplinary knowledge and the liberal arts.
Eric Mumford
He a t h e r Wo o f t e r
R e b e c c a a n d J o h n Vo y l e s Professor of Architecture
C hair, Graduate Architec ture Professor of Architecture
In the process of preparing to write
I have been reading precedent
m y c u r r e n t b o o k , Ur b a n i s m S i n c e
studies of social housing projects in
1850, I have been reading widely
Europ e in Logement, matière de nos
on the shaping of cities, including
v illes; chroniques européennes 1900–
Cities and Economic Development:
2 0 0 7 ( Ho u s i n g , S u b s t a n c e o f O u r
F r o m t h e D a w n o f Hi s t o r y t o t h e
Cities: European Chronicle 1900–
P r e s e n t b y P a u l B a i r o c h . Ab o u t
2 0 0 7 ) , b y Na s r i n e S e r a j i , p r o d u c e d
u r b a n w a t e r f r o n t s I f i n d L o i s Wi l l e’s
as part of an exhibition at the Créée
Fo r e v e r O p e n , C l e a r, a n d F r e e : T h e
P a r l e P a v i l l o n d e l’A r s e n a l i n P a r i s
S t r u g g l e f o r C h i c a g o’s L a k e f r o n t
i n 2 0 0 7 . T h e c a t a l o g ’s r e f l e c t i o n o n
a n d J o a n B u s q u e t s’ B a r c e l o n a : T h e
one hundred years of precedents
Ur b a n Ev o l u t i o n o f a C o m p a c t C i t y
provides a foundation for reframing
particularly interesting. I am also
future directions of our graduate
e n j o y i n g P r e s e r v i n g t h e Wo r l d’s
curriculum addressing housing as a
Great Cities: The Destr uction and
fundamental and enduring project
R e n e w a l o f t h e Hi s t o r i c Me t r o p o l i s ,
with the power to shape cultural
A n t h o n y M . Tu n g ’s o v e r v i e w
and social agendas of our time.
of preser vation issues facing c i t i e s a r o u n d t h e w o r l d , a n d Ne w To w n s : R e g i o n a l P l a n n i n g a n d D e v e l o p m e n t , b y P i e r r e Me r l i n , o n planned postwar development in S candinavia, Holland, France, t he Un i t e d S t a t e s , Po l a n d , a n d Hu n g a r y. And in light of the Ferguson-related events of 2014, the first-person a c c o u n t s i n N i n i H a r r i s’ A Mo s t Un s e t t l e d S t a t e , o n t h e C i v i l Wa r, still resonate.
Approach 24
Faculty
School Reads
Spring 2015
Patty Heyda
Seng Kuan
Assistant Professor of Urban Design
Assistant Professor of Architecture
The b o oks on my desk right now
I am interested in the ways water
are resources for the book I am
h a s b e e n m a n a g e d i n r e c e n t h i s t o r y.
working on about American cities or
I am reading up on irrigation
are tied to my current architecture
techniques, land reclamation
studio exploring alternate energ y
projects, and water conser vation in
economies for St. Louis. They
e a r l y m o d e r n a n d m o d e r n Ja p a n .
i n c l u d e Ju s t i c e a n d t h e Am e r i c a n
Wi t h t h e c u r r e n t t a l k o f H a r p e r
Me t r o p o l i s b y C l a r i s s a R i l e H a y w a r d
L e e’s s e c o n d b o o k , I a m h o p i n g t o
a n d To d d S w a n s t r o m , T h e G r e e n
r e r e a d To Ki l l a Mo c k i n g b i r d . I f i r s t
C o l l a r E c o n o my : Ho w O n e S o l u t i o n
encountered it in ninth grade, and
C a n F i x O u r Tw o B i g g e s t P r o b l e m s
t h e b o o k’s f o r e i g n c u l t u r a l c o n t e x t ,
b y Va n J o n e s , a n d T h e T h i r d
at least for me at the time, made
In d u s t r i a l R e v o l u t i o n : Ho w L a t e r a l
it dif f icult to f ind empathy in its
P o w e r I s Tr a n s f o r m i n g E n e r g y, t h e
narratives and character struggles.
E c o n o m y, a n d t h e Wo r l d b y J e r e m y Rifkin.
Faculty
W HAT A R E YO U R E A D I N G ?
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Architecture, Ar t, Museum
Th e S a m F o x S c h o o l o f D e s i g n & V i s u a l A r t s a t W a s h i n g t o n U n i v e r s i t y i n St. Louis is a unique collaboration in architecture, art, and design education, d e d i c at e d t o e x c e l l e n c e i n l e a r n i n g , c r e at i v e a c t i v i t y, r e s e a r c h , a n d e x h i b i t i o n . It i s c o m p r i s e d o f t h r e e u n i t s , e a c h w i t h a r i c h h i s t o r y. Th e C o l l e g e o f A r c h i t e c t u r e a n d G r a d u a t e S c h o o l o f A r c h i t e c t u r e & Urban Desig n was established in 1910 and has the distinction of being one of the ten founding members of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture. Th e C o l l e g e a n d G r a d u a t e S c h o o l o f A r t w a s f o u n d e d i n 1 8 7 9 a s t h e fi r s t p r o f e s s i o n a l , u n i v e r s i t y - a ffi l i a t e d a r t s c h o o l i n t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s a n d i s t h e only art school to have fathered a major metropolitan art museum. Th e M i l d r e d L a n e K e m p e r A r t M u s e u m w a s f o u n d e d i n 1 8 8 1 a s t h e fi r s t a r t m u s e u m w e s t o f t h e M i s s i s s i p p i R i v e r.