Undergraduate Approach 25 by WashU Sam Fox School

{f luid} Approach

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Approach 24

Issue 25

{f luid} Approach Approach documents the pedagogical, cultural, and intellectual life of the College of Architecture in the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis. Each thematic issue focuses on a particular aspect of the undergraduate architecture program, providing a snapshot of the educational approach, visual language, and experimental ethos that permeate the College. Issue 25, {Fluid} Approach, focuses on a series of studios that engage with aspects of fluidity—from the material explorations of water and watersheds to the conceptual notion of liquidity in architecture and urbanism. It presents a selection of work generated by the fifth semester Core Studio titled Water: Liquid Tectonics as well as from a selection of Option Studios that were taught between 2012 and 2016, all of which engaged various facets of fluidity.

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{Fluid} Approach Issue 25 Fall 2017

Publisher 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

Editor Igor Marjanović

Managing Editor Jane E. Neidhardt

Designer Elisa Kim

Cover image: Ruth Blair Moyers, Hybrid drawing: digital processes with pencil and charcoal on mylar Approach 24

STUDENT CONTRIBUTORS

Alexander Agnew Jun Bae Sonya Feinstein Aria Griffin Ta y l o r H a l a m k a David Hamm Charles Hart Eleanor Knowles Nina Lang Andy Lee Belinda Lee Rachel LeFevre Mingxi Li Koby Moreno Ruth Blair Moyers Niki Murata Ethan Poh Rebecca Resnic Julia Roberts Will Sun N a t a s h a Ta b a c h n i k o f f Rory Thibault P a u l Wu A n g e l a Ya n g J o h a n n a Ye e George Zhang Yiran Zhang

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CONTENTS {fluid} INTRODUCTIONS

D e a n’s I n t r o d u c t i o n : B i g R i v e r Bruce Lindsey

C h a i r ’s N o t e s : B r i d g e s Igor Marjanović

Coordinator's Notes: Building, Dwelling, Thinking Sung Ho Kim

{fluid} CORE STUDIO

Core Semester Five

W a t e r : L i q u i d Te c t o n i c s Course Coordinators: Ke l l e y Mu r p hy, Fa l l 2 0 1 6 Jonathan Stitelman, Fall 2015

{fluid} OPTION STUDIOS

St. Louis and the Mississippi River Fall 2012

Infrascapes Gia Daskalakis

Fall 2014

Misi-Ziibi Disappear Derek Hoeferlin

Social Ecologies of Harlem Jacqueline Margetts

Spring 2016

Beyond St. Louis Spring 2012

Global Features: Monte Carlo Igor Marjanović and Heather Wo o f t e r

Spring 2016

Archidam Derek Hoeferlin

Florence: Studio Abroad Stephen Leet and Robert McCarter

Fall 2016

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SCHO OL CULTURE

Discussion Review

Wo r k s h o p R e v i e w

Exhibition Review

Charrette Review

Lecture Reviews

Maya Lin in Conversation Wo m e n i n A r c h i t e c t u r e + D e s i g n N a t a s h a Ta b a c h n i k o f f

Printmaking in Florence, Italy Ethan Poh

To S e e W i t h o u t B e i n g S e e n : Contemporary Art and Drone Wa r f a r e Rachel LeFevre

Fitzgibbon Charrette George Zhang

Phyllis Lambert, "Architecture: A Public Concern" Rebecca Resnic

Kengo Kuma, "Anti Obje c t" Mingxi Li

SCHOOL READS

W h a t A r e Yo u R e a d i n g ?

Students Jun Bae Eleanor Knowles Rory Thibault J o h a n n a Ye e

Faculty Chandler Ahrens Robert McCarter Lindsey Stouffer N a t a l i e Ya t e s

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{fluid} Introductions

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DEAN’ S I N T RODU CT ION : BIG RI VER 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 ( 2 0 0 6 – 2 0 1 7 ) E. Desmond Lee Professor for Community Collaboration

M a r k Tw a i n s a i d o f t h e M i s s i s s i p p i t h a t i t i s n o c o m m o n p l a c e r i v e r. I n the span of over one hundred years the Lower Mississippi has shortened its 2,320-mile length by 242 miles. The many courses of the river remind us of the trajectories of our students: dynamic, persistent, and diverse. Im a g i n e a m ap of t h e Un it e d St at e s with Maine on the right and California on the left. Imagine a big Y going through the middle that encompasses nearly two-thirds of the map. The Y is the watershed of the Mississippi R i v e r. T h e M i s s o u r i ’s h e a d w a t e r s a r e in Three Forks, Montana, where the Gallatin and Madison Rivers come together to form the Missouri, which meets the Mississippi more than two thousand miles later at the confluence twenty miles north of St. Louis. Former president of the Missouri Histor y Mus eum R ob er t Archib a ld s aid t hat there is a geographical determinacy to t h e s it i ng of St . L ou i s . It i s w h e re i t h a d t o b e . M y o f f i c e a t Wa s h i n g t o n Un i v e r s it y i s e i g ht m i l e s w e s t of t h e r i v e r. I l i k e t o i m a g i n e t h a t I c a n h e a r i t i f I l i s t e n c a r e f u l l y. I t h e l p s m e k n o w where I am and where the School is. Come visit.

Ruth Blair Moyers Charcoal drawing on acrylic S e m e s t e r F i v e : Wa t e r ( f a l l 2 0 1 6 ) 10 11

C HAIR’ S NOTES: BRID G ES 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 P r o f e s s o r o f Ar c h i t e c t u r e

F r o m e v e r y t h i n g t h a t m a n e r e c t s a n d b u i l d s i n h i s u r g e f o r l i v i n g n o t h i n g i s i n my e y e s better and more valuable than br idges. They are more impor tant than houses, more sacred than shr ines. Belonging to ever yone and being equal to ever yone, usef ul, always built w ith a sense, on the spot where most human needs are crossing, they are more d u r a b l e t h a n o t h e r b u i l d i n g s a n d t h e y d o n o t s e r v e a ny t h i n g s e c r e t o r b a d . Iv o An d r i ć , S i g n s b y t h e R o a d s i d e , 1 9 7 6

Reflecting upon the old Ottoman b r i d g e s o f t h e B a l k a n Pe n i n s u l a , t h e N o b e l P r i z e l a u r e a t e Iv o A n d r i ć captured their most innate quality— t h a t o f c o n n e c t i v i t y. A s b r i d g e s overcome the impeding geographical separation brought by mighty rivers, they stand as powerful symbols of connections that are as much cultural and social as they are utilitarian. In the eight-semester undergraduate program, the first five semesters consist of the Core Studios, followed by three semesters of Option Studios. T h e f i n a l C o r e S t u d i o i s Wa t e r : L i q u i d Te c t o n i c s , a l s o a f f e c t i o n a t e l y c a l l e d t h e B r i d g e s S t u d i o. I n i t s t u d e n t s d e s i g n a small environmental res earch station at the Chain of Rocks Bridge on the M i s s i s s i p p i R i v e r, d r a w i n g i n s p i r a t i o n from the vast river below and its c o n s t a n t f l u i d i t y. A c u l m i n a t i o n o f the preceding four Core Studios— each with its own focus: ground, a i r, l i g h t , a n d c l i m a t e — t h i s s t u d i o in many ways is the hallmark of the undergraduate architecture experience 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 . It s l a r g e p h y s i c a l m o d e l s o f b r i d g e s d e m o n s t r a t e t h e S c h o o l’s u n f l a g g i n g belief in drawing and building, also foreshadowing the Option Studios t h a t f o l l o w.

T h i s i s s u e o f Ap p r o a c h f o c u s e s o n l i q u i d t e c t o n i c s a n d f l u i d i t y i n a r c h i t e c t u r e . It b e g i n s w i t h t h e B r i d g e s S t u d i o, f o l l o w e d by a selection of Option Studios focused o n w a t e r a n d l i q u i d i t y. T h e s e s t u d i o s explore water as a site condition—a r i v e r, a l a k e , a s e a , e v e n s t o r m w a t e r — but also as an inspiration for structural f o r m s . C o n s e q u e n t l y, o u r s t u d i o s a r e both empirical and intuitive, operating within the field of architecture that is uniquely situated between the arts and sciences. Indeed, architecture is like one o f A n d r i ć’s b r i d g e s — a c o n s t r u c t t h a t links scientific knowledge about the environment with the human desire to make beautiful, meaningful, and timeless structures and spaces. Thus our students make devices that study watersheds, sediments, and bubbles, but also drawings and models that tell the stor y o f w a t e r ’s p o e t i c a n d c u l t u r a l f e a t u r e s . This is particularly resonant here in St. Louis, a place inseparable from the larger hydrological and cultural f lows of t h e M i s s i s s i p p i R i v e r. We t h i n k o f t h i s river not only as our home, but also as a metaphor for the type of education that we of fer—one that is centered on the f low of ideas and cultures, ongoing dialogues about architecture and its role in society and civilization.

Charles Hart Digital drawing S e m e s t e r F i v e : Wa t e r ( f a l l 2 0 1 6 ) 12 13

C O ORDI NAT OR' S NOT E S : BUIL DI NG, DW EL L I NG , T H IN KI NG Sung Ho Kim Un d e r g r a d u a t e C o r e C o o r d i n a t o r ( 2 0 1 2 – 2 0 1 5 ) P r o f e s s o r o f Ar c h i t e c t u r e

I n M a r t i n H e i d e g g e r ’s e s s a y “ B u i l d i n g D w e l l i n g T h i n k i n g ,” h e d e v e l o p s a n argument that dwelling involves the gathering of the fourfold, the coming t o g e t h e r o f e a r t h , s k y, p e o p l e , a n d sense of spiritual reverence that signifies higher realities. In this condition, dwelling is nothing more than an extension of existential space and place, becoming the core of h u m a n a c t i v i t y. A s He i d e g g e r e x p l a i n s , dwelling as a built environment is pivotal because it supports and r e f l e c t s a p e r s o n’s w a y o f b e i n g i n the world. The built environment is a manifestation of the world a n d b e c o m e s c r i t i c a l t o t h e b o d y ’s e x p e r i e n c e . Pe o p l e a r e i m m e r s e d i n their world, and this deep mental involvement is b oth qualitative and indescribable. Thus a walk through a well-designed landscape evokes a different state of being than a walk through an unsightly v a c a n t l o t . C o m p a r a b l y, e n t e r i n g a church stimulates a different human perspective than entering a cemeter y or a shopping mall.

“f a k e a r c h i t e c t u r e” — a t e r m I u s e t o describe the developments in digital design and fabrication of the last decade that were purely formal and rarely concerned with issues of constructability and human experience. In contrast, by creating and working with large physical models, the students are directly engaged with the experience of the dwelling, with m a t e r i a l i t y, a n d w i t h a s e n s e o f b e l o n g i n g to this world. This process allows for a deep consideration of the site and its environment that provokes the spirit of the place and space that architecture becomes. While the contemporar y world is saturated with graphics and seductive images that blind the eyes, architectural education allows for another possible form of engagement: a commitment to building, dwelling, and thinking that constantly questions the “f a k e a r c h i t e c t u r e .”

In the undergraduate C ore Studios our aspirations are to teach young designers to become sensitive to these experiences and to become more aware of how specific qualities of the built environment enhance human experiences. One of the most important endeavors students are challenged to undertake is the construction of largescale models. These large prototypes are the bridge between reality and

Ruth Blair Moyers Model: basswood and acrylic S e m e s t e r F i v e : Wa t e r ( f a l l 2 0 1 6 ) 14 15

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{fluid} Core Studio 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 botanist and explorer, traversed Latin America, exploring 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 world by means of design. They tackle these phenomena as beautiful material and visual effects that are connected to larger social and cultural issues. Echoing von Humboldt's desire to "view the world," 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 feature observatory programs, concluding with the final one (Semester Five) located on and informed by water.

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WATER : Liquid Tec tonic s S e m e s t e r

F i v e

Course Coordinators Kel le y Mur phy (fa l l 2016) Jonathan Stitelman (fall 2015) Studio Faculty 2015–2016 Charles Brown Jaymon Diaz Nathaniel Elberfeld Anna Ives Donald Koster Frederick Stivers J a s o n Wa r d

The fifth and final C ore Studio draws its technical, ecological, and cultural 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 spanning 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 effects 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 obser vation, which in turn informs their design of a research station located on and integrated with the bridge. Envisioned b oth as a home and a workplace for on-site research, the 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 ” that accommodates diverse habits 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.

Will Sun Models: ink and acrylic S e m e s t e r F i v e : Wa t e r ( f a l l 2 0 1 6 ) 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 25

Studio Faculty : Charles Brown

Semester Five: Wa t e r

Fall 2015

ARIA G RIF F IN

My design for this project—titled The Weaponization of Water—was inspired by the idea that water (although a naturally unifying entity in life) can be used to project power and hierarchies within society, such as by police using fire hoses on protesters. I studied the manipulation of water flow within a pressurized system. Without any forces acting on it, a water mass takes the (passive) form of whatever container it is in, but under high pressure it has the (active) ability to convert from a mere volume into a structural form (surface, plane, hollow, etc.). By using various devices, the shape of the sculptural form can be controlled and measured. For my observatory I want people to experience the force of the river’s undercurrents, hence the skin of the building is made from a series of cables that reach various depths of the river. At the end of the cables are rudders that capture the current and transfer its motion into the moving lines on the facade of the building. Ultimately, the entire structure looks like a moored ship.

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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

Approach 25

Studio Faculty : Kelley Mur phy

Semester Five: Wa t e r

Fall 2016

RUT H BL A IR MOYE R S I began my design for this project—titled Elegy to Thinkers / Thinking P(l)ace—by studying fluvial erosion and how water released from a small reservoir at the top of a spillway generates turbulence that lifts up pieces of alluvium to create an eroded landscape. I then made charcoal drawings to understand erosion on a larger scale—vast topographical landscapes being changed by the path of a meandering river. I considered the site of the Chain of Rocks Bridge not in isolation but as a small part of a larger system. The dominating steel structure of the bridge makes the pedestrian recognize his or her own smallness. The public walkway and overlook in my design allow that same pedestrian to look outside of herself onto the vastness of the landscape (including the Missouri River and the city of St. Louis), remembering that she is part of a complex, incomprehensible system that exceeds human scale.

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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

Approach 25

Studio Faculty : Jay mon Diaz

Semester Five: Wa t e r

Fall 2015

ETHAN P OH

This project consists of a module to monitor the health of fish in the Mississippi River as well as a docking station based on the relationship of the movement of the human body and methods of capturing fish. The form of the module references the liquid nature of the ecosystem within which it is sited, and structural lines tie the form back to the bridge by following the linear geometry of the bridge itself. The project is designed to be part of the bridge yet remain distinct in its visual language. Offset with a system of trusses, the dwelling is spatially separate from the bridge. Only when the laboratory pod is docked can it be accessed, thereby creating an intimate, private space on a public bridge.

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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

My project is based on sustainable filtration systems. The stairs offer an example of potential human-powered mechanisms by pumping water through the compression of tubes using human weight. Through this and supplementary pumping mechanisms, water is brought up from the river to the laboratory where researchers study filtration methods. Filtered water then travels down, via gravity, to the dwelling portion of the structure, where inhabitants can use it as their source of clean water. This connects to the historical significance of the Chain of Rocks site as the source of clean water for St. Louis through the two intake towers and treatment plant nearby. My design is sited to allow visitors to view these three historic points as well as the methods of modern sustainable filtration research.

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Semester Five: Wa t e r

Studio Faculty : Nathaniel Elber feld

Fall 2016

REBEC C A RESNIC

1/4” = 1’ Roof Plan

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{fluid} Option Studios After students in the undergraduate program complete the five-semester Core Studio sequence, they enter Option Studios, where they choose from a menu of thematic studios proposed by the faculty. Often relating to contemporary or historical issues in architecture and urbanism, Option Studios are also closely linked to faculty research interests and creative practices. Some Option Studios are also offered as part of the minor degree tracks in Landscape Architecture and Urban Design.

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INFR ASCA PES F a l l

2 0 1 2

Gia Daskalakis I . T h e Ae s t h e t i c s o f Mo b i l i t y : The Space of Infrastructure

M a r k Tw a i n’s m e m o i r L i f e o n t h e Mi s s i s s i p p i ( 1 8 8 3 ) r e c o u n t s t h e s h a r e d romantic ambition among boys living along the river of becoming a steamboat pilot, braving the e ver-changing river w hile b ound for far-of f, mysterious lands. I n t h e f o l l o w i n g c e n t u r y Ja c k K e r o u a c’s On the Road (1957) popularized a mobile lifestyle through an epic account of cross-countr y adventures, romanticizing the open road as one of freedom, wild a n d a n t i c i p a t o r y. In both books much of the stor y occurs in the space of the infrastructure (river o r h i g h w a y ) . T h e c o n c e p t o f “ b r i d g e” i s often more provocative than either the point of departure or the destination.

II. Loose Space: B etween Indeterminacy and Ap p r o p r i a t i o n

III. River Dynamics: Infrastructures and Ecologies

I V. P r o j e c t : S i t e , Q u e s t i o n s , Ac t i v i t i e s

“ L o o s e s p a c e” o p e r a t e s o u t s i d e p r e s c r i b e d and fixed functions. Spaces formerly populated by industr y or areas along the highways constitute such spaces.

Levees, locks, and dams create a consistent navigation channel along rivers, but not without serious consequences; they also enable destructive floods and diminish river e c o l o g y. T h e d i s a p p e a r a n c e o f w e t l a n d s has caused the degradation of shallow water habitats and endangered a host of species.

T h i s s t u d i o’s p r o j e c t f o c u s e s o n t h e St. Louis riverfront, embracing river h y d r o l o g y, s y n t h e t i c a n d n a t u r a l h a b i t a t construction, f lood control, water t r e a t m e n t , a n d l a n d s c a p e e c o l o g y. It t r a n s f o r m s t h e s i t e i n t o a “ l i v i n g laborator y” of constructed urban and river ecologies, reconnecting the city and t h e r i v e r.

David Hamm Digital drawing Infrascapes (fall 2012) 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

Circulation serves as a constant in a system of fluctuating water levels and bird populations. This proposal for a Migratory Bird Habitat allows for a dynamic relationship between people, birds, and the Mississippi River while also serving as an alternative to the existing bland floodwall. Riparian vegetation is in part determined by the relationship of water levels and topography. Because different plants require different amounts of water and can tolerate being saturated for a varying number of days, it is possible to design the landscape based on the typical daily water levels of the Mississippi River. At the same time, different plants are desirable to different migratory birds that pass through St. Louis on the Mississippi River flyway, and therefore, as a consequence of the topography alone, different bird habitats could be located throughout the site. Flocking birds activate the site and serve as an attraction for visitors. In order to accommodate varying entrances at different levels of the ground, the paths are elevated to a range of heights, allowing for year-round access.

Approach 25

Studio Faculty : Gia Daskalakis

Option Studio: Inf ra s cap es

Fall 2012

DAV ID HAM M

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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

Approach 25

Studio Faculty : Gia Daskalakis

Option Studio: Inf ra s cap es

Fall 2012

NIKI M UR ATA

Inspired by the cinematic quality of moving through space, this project proposes a velodrome that interfaces with both the urban condition of the riverfront and the Mississippi River itself. Consequently, the drawings resemble a series of film stills, suggesting the perception of the site from a fast-moving bicycle and thus extending the possibility of architectural representation beyond plans, sections, and static renderings.

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MISI-ZI I B I DI SA PPE A R F a l l

2 0 1 4

Derek Hoeferlin

Whatever the pleasures and prodigious effor ts associated w ith erecting architecture, the ar t of causing it to disappear can be equally compelling or satisf y ing. –Keller E asterling

Wi t h i t s t i t l e i n c o r p o r a t i n g t h e t e r m misi-ziibi, which is the Ojibwe or Algonquin name for the Mississippi R i v e r ( m e a n i n g “G r e a t R i v e r ” ) , t h i s studio engages a series of critical issues relating to a central question: What does it mean for architecture to perform a disappearing act? The studio looks at the global comparison of deltas, their urbanisms, and the larger cause-andeffect contexts of watersheds. Playing the d u b i o u s r o l e o f d e v i l’s a d v o c a t e , s t u d e n t s test out an experimental framework of “d i s a p p e a r a n c e” b y c h a l l e n g i n g t h e l a s t d e c a d e’s o v e r u s e d t e r m s u s t a i n a b i l i t y a n d t h i s d e c a d e’s b u z z w o r d r e s i l i e n c y . We u n a p o l o g e t i c a l l y p r o v o k e : W h a t i f sea-level rise is a good thing? What if we learn to love sinking landscapes? What if saltwater intrusion is a resource? And if these are plausible, what formidable role can architecture play? The studio includes a field trip to the Mississippi River delta in the l a r g e r Ne w O r l e a n s a r e a t o s t u d y t h e effects of a continuously disappearing landscape (some say a football field–size loss ever y half hour), from the delta u r b a n i s m o f Ne w O r l e a n s t o t h e G u l f o f Me x i c o. We d e p l o y m u l t i p l e m o d e s o f documentar y research methods, such as g e o - r e f e r e n c e d p h o t o g r a p h y, b a l l o o n s , d r o n e s , v i d e o, d r a w i n g s , a n d i n t e r v i e w s , to document real-time conditions as well as dialogues with local residents and experts of multiple disciplines. The delta is a delicate environment whose infrastructure is dominated by shipping, oil, gas, petrochemicals, flood protection, fishing, gaming, and tourism. It i s a l s o a l a n d s c a p e t h a t w a s o n c e ( a n d may still be) a haunt for pirates.

Studio group work Large-format map, 9’ x 9’ Misi-Ziibi Disappear (fall 2014)

Us i n g t h e M i s s i s s i p p i R i v e r d e l t a a s a jumping off point, the studio assignment i s t o d e f i n e a n a r c h i t e c t u r a l m a n i f e s t o, site(s), and program(s) of disappearance. In the true spirit of disappearance and p r o d u c t i v e p i r a c y, e a c h o f t h e s e m a y disappear and reemerge in new dynamic f o r m s t h r o u g h o u t t h e s e m e s t e r. 36 37

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 project is intended to subvert the dominant jurisdictional bodies in Louisiana to revolutionize the shipping industry through rogue land management. It is based on the assumption that the current dredging regimes that manage the Mississippi River as a viable shipping route will end, suggesting the ecological inadequacy of the entire concept of river dredging. By amplifying the inherently untamable complexity of the Mississippi River’s infrastructural and ecological system, we can realize that the solution may be to try not fighting the river. My proposal involves designing a series of rogue amphibian structures, and there is hardly a more appropriate location for them than the old stomping ground of Jean Lafitte, the legendary French pirate who trolled the Gulf of Mexico.

Approach 25

Studio Faculty : D erek Hoeferlin

Option Studio: Misi-Ziibi Disappear

Fall 2014

ALEX A N DE R AGNEW

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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

Approach 25

Studio Faculty : D erek Hoeferlin

Option Studio: Misi-Ziibi Disappear

Fall 2014

TAYLOR HAL AMKA

This speculative project assumes the worstcase ecological scenario for the Mississippi River delta region for the next fifty years. Taking for granted two conditions—the disappearance of the oil industry from the mouth of the Mississippi River and a threefoot rise of sea level—the project proposes a series of recycling plants and metal foundries sited in the repurposed oil rigs off the coast of Louisiana. The proposal is implemented in four main phases, based on the patterns of the sea-level rise and the structure’s progressive growth outward as shallow water oil rigs are abandoned. It features a recycling plant that grows through a system of piers to meet the shrinking coastline. Reshaped metal is pressed into the ground to maintain strips of land as well as to protect against surges and tides and create an outdoor shrimp farm.

40 41

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 25

Studio Faculty : D erek Hoeferlin

Option Studio: Misi-Ziibi Disappear

Fall 2014

ANDY LEE

This project—titled the Central Wetlands Unit Cap and Trade Program—is a complex structure that provides innovative ways to engage the water infrastructure of greater New Orleans. This infrastructural piece diverts and flushes runoff, sewage, and chemicals from the petrochemical companies that are pumped into this landscape. As a result of the inherently fragile geological and ecological systems—and given the larger political and economic concerns of the region still recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina—this project proposes a central wetlands assimilation program that remediates the existing sewage treatment centers by flushing effluent into the wetlands to reduce salinity.

42 43

S O CIAL EC OLO GI ES OF HA R LE M S p r i n g

2 0 1 6

Jacqueline Margetts This Option Studio is offered as p a r t o f t h e C o l l e g e o f Ar c h i t e c t u r e ' s minor degree tracks in Landscape Ar c h i t e c t u r e a n d Ur b a n D e s i g n .

This studio de velops an environmental design practice focused on the expansion of s o cial and environmental justice in the nor th St. L ouis area called Harlem. Rigorous analytical methodologies based on the concept of ecological urbanism are deployed to develop site-specific, environmentally just inter ventions related to issues of water management. H a r l e m w a s h o m e t o s o m e o f S t . L o u i s’s m o s t v i b r a n t n e i g h b o r h o o d s — We l l s G o o d f e l l o w, J e f f Va n d e r L o u , a n d T h e Vi l l e — t h e s o - c a l l e d “c r a d l e o f c u l t u r e” for black St. Louisans in the 1920s and one of the few areas in the city where A f r i c a n A m e r i c a n s c o u l d o w n p r o p e r t y. D e i n d u s t r i a l i z a t i o n , e c o n o m i c h a r d s h i p, and long-term underinvestment have brought distress to these neighborhoods. Ad d i t i o n a l s t r a i n h a s b e e n c a u s e d b y an inadequate stormwater system, with frequent system overf lows that send untreated water onto streets and into b a s e m e n t s . To a d d r e s s t h i s i s s u e t h e Me t r o p o l i t a n S t . L o u i s S e w e r D i s t r i c t h a s recently been granted funds to build a series of detention basins. These basins, h o w e v e r, a r e o f t e n s i m p l y j u s t u n s i g h t l y areas of mown grass surrounded by a high fence. This studio proposes new strategies for water management and public space, providing opportunities for networked social ecologies of e x t r a o r d i n a r y p r o d u c t i v i t y a n d v i t a l i t y.

Yiran Zhang Digital mapping Social Ecologies of Harlem (spring 2016)

The results are shared with the City of St. Louis as a contribution to the research c u r r e n t l y b e i n g u n d e r t a k e n b y t h e c i t y ’s Ur b a n Vi t a l i t y a n d E c o l o g y ( U V E ) initiative—a group of organizations, institutions, and individuals assisting in the development of a biodiversity atlas and a natural res ource inventor y and analysis for the region. The studio engages research-by-design methodologies to explore opportunities for ecological and public open-space networks and proposes key locations for potential UVE-funded projects. 44 45

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 proposal—titled On/Off the Grid—takes a net-zero energy and a net-zero water approach. The idea is to replace the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District’s existing detention basin and improve upon it, encouraging increased biodiversity and community cohesion, which is currently lacking. The design is also a comparative landscape management study of two methods of unconventional maintenance: prescribed burning and ruminant (goat) grazing. The area of the existing basin is to be maintained by the goats and the surrounding plots are to be maintained by biennial controlled burns.

Approach 25

Studio Faculty : Jacqueline Margetts

Option Studio: S ocial Ecolog ies of Harlem

Spring 2016

RORY THIBAU LT

46 47

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 25

Studio Faculty : Jacqueline Margetts

Option Studio: S ocial Ecolog ies of Harlem

Spring 2016

Y IR AN ZHANG

Taking the concept of “urban acupuncture” as its operational strategy, this project is a proposal for a park that engages new ecological and social programs and acts as an amenity for the community. The park evokes poetics and vitality through manipulation of the ground—it employs a series of retention and detention ponds that are both beautiful and effective in their aim to mitigate the effects of flooding and reuse rainwater. Ultimately, in contrast to typical fenced-off retention ponds, these linked, regraded spaces provide both ecological corridors and pathways for people in the community.

48 49

G LOBAL F EATU RES: Monte C arlo S p r i n g

2 0 1 2

Igor Mar janović H e a t h e r Wo o f t e r

In 1969 the London-based Archigram group entered a competition to design a multifunctional entertainment and r e c r e a t i o n a l s p a c e i n t h e c i t y o f Mo n t e C a r l o, Mo n a c o. T h e p r o j e c t w a s a landscape proposal that engaged the land and the sea through a combination of underground and aboveground features. Ultimately the project fell through, resulting in the dispersal of the Archigram members around the world, yet they continued to collaborate over great distances, sustaining a dialogue of ideas through mail and other forms of media exchange. T h i s s t u d i o, w h i c h b r i n g s t o g e t h e r graduate and undergraduate students, r e v i s i t s A r c h i g r a m’s w o r k i n g m o d e l of delayed conversation, creating a critical dialogue through drawings and artifacts that ser ve as vehicles f o r c r i t i q u i n g e a c h o t h e r ’s w o r k . T h i s dialogue includes Dennis Crompton, one of the founding members of Archigram, as well as students and f a c u l t y f r o m F r a n c e a n d Mo n a c o. The studio focuses on the rich histor y o f Mo n t e C a r l o, a p l a c e o f d y n a m i c c u l t u r a l v a r i e t y w h e r e It a l i a n , F r e n c h , and Occitan cultures blend with a truly global diaspora. Furthermore, the city was founded on the merger of healthrelated spa treatments and a lucrative e n t e r t a i n m e n t i n d u s t r y. T h e d r a w i n g s and dialogues ultimately result in designs related to spaces of healing and entertainment. While these two types of activities are emblematic of Mo n t e C a r l o’s c o m p l e x h i s t o r y, t h e y also engage broader dichotomies of contemp orar y environments around the world, namely health / amusement and p h y s i c a l / e p h e m e r a l . C o n s e q u e n t l y, the projects operate both on domestic and environmental s cales, merging the personal with the communal, the local with the global.

Belinda Lee Digital drawing Global Features: Monte Carlo (spring 2012) 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

Approach 25

Studio Faculty : Igor Mar janov ić H e a t h e r Wo o f t e r

Option Studio: Global Features

Spring 2012

BELIN DA LEE

This project imagines a reappropriation of ocean liners as buildings with the capacity to plug into various global port cities. As examples of twenty-first-century plug-in cities, these floating vessels are received by networked infrastructures that serve to connect travelers with the social and cultural amenities of the cities they visit. Inspired by the ethos and aesthetics of the visionary projects of Archigram, in particular its Plug-In City drawings by Peter Cook, the project uses ideas of buoyancy and shipbuilding to extend the city into an infrastructural system of docks and interlinked liners.

52 53

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 exploration of Monaco’s global features began with a nine-foot-long section drawing of the city of Monte Carlo, which visualizes a path meandering along the city’s steep, dense, and canyon-like streets. Inspired by snapshots of the city—which often combine opposing building types and programs—this project proposes a hybrid program of winery and wellness center. Such a program relates both to the city’s past and to its present—to its origin as one of the oldest spa towns in this part of Europe and its current position in the global tourism industry.

Approach 25

Studio Faculty : Igor Mar janov ić H e a t h e r Wo o f t e r

Option Studio: Global Features

Spring 2012

JULIA ROBERT S

shoulder

neckline

armhole line

side

A A

site

side seam

casino//opera

hem

F A B R I C S T U D Y: S T I T C H I N G T O G E T H E R P A T T E R N + C I T Y

54 55

ARCHI DA M S p r i n g

2 0 1 6

Derek Hoeferlin

This design-research architecture studio interrogates the hotly contested issues of large-scale infrastructures relating to transnational water geopolitics. The project involves de veloping a complex understanding of the spatial and temporal ramifications of dams—dams that have been, currently are, and will continue to be constructed across entire river basins for varied purposes ranging from but not limited to irrigation, consumption, industrialization, urbanization, agriculture, aquaculture, navigation, and, maybe most i m p o r t a n t , h y d r o p o w e r. The studio builds upon comparative u n d e r s t a n d i n g s o f t h e Me k o n g , Mississippi, and Rhine River basins. Each of these basins is at different stages of dam development, and the future of each is arguably at a crossroads in relation to the management of dams. The least developed of the three river basins is the Me k o n g , a n d a s s u c h t h i s b a s i n - w h i c h includes, from source to mouth, China, My a n m a r, T h a i l a n d , L a o s , C a m b o d i a , a n d Vi e t n a m - w i l l b e c o m e t h e l a r g e scale site for speculative futures and architectural programs. C u r r e n t l y a l o n g t h e Me k o n g d o z e n s o f dams are either under construction or planned for construction, several of which are considerably larger than the Ho o v e r D a m . T h e m a i n p u r p o s e f o r t h e s e i s h y d r o p o w e r, e i t h e r f o r l o c a l c o n s u m p t i o n , s u c h a s i n C h i n a’s Yu n n a n province, or for export for capital, such as from Laos to Thailand or from C a m b o d i a t o Vi e t n a m . T h e l o n g - t e r m ramifications are shockingly uncertain, especially in relation to down-river effects—including fresh water and sediment supplies for agriculture, aquaculture, and urbanization—and the serious climate change issues of sea-level rise, sinking lands, and saltwater intrusion.

Studio group work Large-format digital map Archidam (spring 2016) 56 57

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

Assuming that the hydropower dams already under construction in the Mekong River basin will be completed, a projection one hundred years into the future estimates that all freshwater supply will be cut off to Tonle Sap, the region’s largest freshwater lake and fishing industry. As a result, a network of canals will be constructed, with the primary intent of redirecting pooled freshwater back into the lake. The hydropower dams also hinder the main migratory path of fish during the wet and dry seasons. The building program, based on preexisting sluice gates in the region, features “sluice-shops” located at joints between the river, river braids, and canals to redirect both water and fish, serving simultaneously civic and social functions.

Approach 25

Studio Faculty : D erek Hoeferlin

Option Studio: Archidam

Spring 2016

KOBY MOR ENO

58 59

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 25

Studio Faculty : D erek Hoeferlin

Option Studio: Archidam

Spring 2016

PAUL WU

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is the largest free trade agreement ever conceived. Bringing together nearly half of the global GDP under one free trade zone, it allows the West to take advantage of lower international labor costs while also artificially increasing the value of domestic goods. Yet perhaps the most threatening power granted by TPP is the influence over governments. In order to fully realize the TPP, the Mekong River will become a key infrastructural component much like the Mississippi River. There are existing points of transaction along the river for locals; these will be used to move goods across bodies of water nonnavigable for larger container boats. This project—titled the International Transfer Station—takes a critical stance on Western involvement in the Mekong River basin. It is designed as a narrative, even ironic, project that unfolds in three modules, allowing the coexistence of locals and foreigners—both those from the East and those from the West.

60 61

FLORENCE: Studio Abroad F a l l

2 0 1 6

Stephen Leet Robert McCarter

This studio engages two projects in Florence: s t u d e n t s d e s i g n a Ve r t i c a l G a l l e r y - To w e r with Stephen Leet, followed by a design p r o j e c t f o r a Ho r i z o n t a l S c h o o l - B r i d g e l e d b y R o b e r t Mc C a r t e r. T h e Ve r t i c a l G a l l e r y - To w e r a c t s a s a temporar y exhibition pavilion in Piazza Strozzi, a public square adjacent to the Palazzo Strozzi, an early Renaissance palace constructed between 1489 and 1538. This pavilion contains artworks dealing with the theme of verticality and the figure; the artworks are installed inside the building based on the careful study of natural light a n d s h a d o w. T h e p r o j e c t s a r e i n f o r m e d b y the rich and varied histor y of twentietha n d t w e n t y - f i r s t - c e n t u r y It a l i a n t e m p o r a r y exhibition pavilions, as well as the 478 years of urban histor y spanning the completion of the Palazzo Strozzi and these new designs. Wi t h i t s p u r e g e o m e t r y, t h e P a l a z z o S t r o z z i r e s e m b l e s a s o l i d r o c k — o p a q u e , h e a v y, a n d formidable—which inspired the restrained visual language of the projects themselves. T h e Ho r i z o n t a l S c h o o l - B r i d g e c o m p r i s e s a s m a l l Mo n t e s s o r i s c h o o l o n t h e Po n t e A m e r i g o Ve s p u c c i o v e r t h e R i v e r A r n o ( d e s i g n e d b y R i c c a r d o Mo r a n d i a n d completed in 1957). Students begin by constructing a single classroom, engaging the fundamentally spatial definition of the Mo n t e s s o r i a p p r o a c h o f “ l e a r n i n g t h o u g h m a k i n g .” T h e p r o g r a m m a t i c e l e m e n t s o f the school then lead to the construction of a l i n e a r “s o c i e t y o f s p a c e s” o n t h e b r i d g e s i t e . T h e p r o j e c t s e n g a g e “t h e p o e t i c s o f c o n s t r u c t i o n” — t h e m a t e r i a l s , c o n s t r u c t i o n , and details that shape the experience of the s c h o o l’s i n h a b i t a n t s . T h e s t u d i o r e f l e c t s t h e ancient theme of bridge-buildings (bridges that also support buildings), relating to the l o c a l e x a m p l e s o f t h e Po n t e Ve c c h i o a n d t h e Po n t e a l l e G r a z i e , a s w e l l a s t o S t e v e n Ho l l’s c o n c e p t u a l e x p l o r a t i o n s i n P a m p h l e t A r c h i t e c t u r e 7 , B r i d g e o f Ho u s e s .

Nina Lang Digital drawing Florence: Studio Abroad (fall 2016) 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

This is a proposal for a temporary exhibition space in Piazza Strozzi for works of art that are both figurative and nonfigurative. The design of the space is inspired by the works themselves as well as the play of light and shadow both inside and outside the building.

Approach 25

Studio Faculty : Stephen Leet

Option Studio: Florence

Fall 2016

S ONYA FEIN ST E IN

64 65

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

Upper Level Plan 1/8 1:100 scale

Lower Level Plan 1/8 1:100 scale

North - South Section 3/16” scale

Approach 25

Studio Faculty : Rober t McCar ter

Option Studio: Florence

Fall 2016

ANGE L A YA NG

Stemming from preliminary explorations of "The Cube" classroom, this Montessori school classroom design introduces a shift from the orthogonal grid through a 20-degree counterclockwise rotation of its interior walls. This rotation allows for utility spaces such as stairs, bathroom, kitchen, shelves, and corridors to be tucked within "Walls of Curiosities," in effect opening up and maximizing the mat space on the ground level and table space on the upper levels.

66 67

Approach 24

School Culture

In addition to the rich offering of courses, both within and outside of the College of Architecture, intellectual and social life at the School is enriched through numerous cultural events. These include museum and gallery exhibitions, symposia and panel discussions, workshops, the Public Lecture Series, and other special events that bring to campus a number of individuals 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, Peter Eisenman, Kenneth Frampton, K. Michael Hays, Daniel Libeskind, Mary McLeod, Jesse Reiser and Nanako Umemoto, Saskia Sassen, Nasrine Seraji, Bernard Tschumi, and Stanislaus von Moos, as well as Kengo Kuma, Phyllis Lambert, and Maya Lin, whose visits are reviewed here. Often these events are linked to the curatorial program of the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum. Recent architectural exhibitions at the Museum include Metabolic City (2009), Tomás 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). Recent examples of symposia 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. 68 69

D i s c u ssi on R e v i e w N a t a s h a Ta b a c h n i k o f f Bachelor of Science in Architecture, 2017

Maya Lin in Conversation

Review

M a y a L i n’s w o r k s a r e e v o c a t i v e . T h e y test the expressive qualities of land and material and create a unique experience of the liminal space between architecture, land art, and activism. As students and, p a r t i c u l a r l y, a s y o u n g w o m e n , w e a s p i r e to the personal self-assuredness and design confidence Lin demonstrated under a harsh public eye in her college years. In recognition of her legacy and achievements, she was one of several artists honored in fall 2015 by President B a r a c k O b a m a w i t h a P r e s i d e n t i a l Me d a l o f F r e e d o m , t h e c o u n t r y ’s h i g h e s t c i v i l i a n h o n o r. It i s e a s y t o p u t a n a r c h i t e c t o f h e r stature on a pedestal, but we hoped with her visit here to subvert the traditional and hierarchical format of a lecture and instead bring Lin into intimate dialogue with us as students. By facilitating a conversation b etween Sam Fox S chool students and Lin, we hoped to create an advanced and reciprocal discourse around issues of s h a r e d u r g e n c y a n d i n t r i g u e . We g a t h e r e d questions and sketches from students and faculty and aggregated a set of diverse and intriguing topics for her to a d d r e s s . We s e l e c t e d s u b j e c t s t h a t f e l t most real to us as citizens and designers,

Fall 2016

Above: Architecture student Natasha Tabachnikoff asks a question during a discussion with guest speaker Maya Lin. Photo by Jun Bae. Opposite page and below: Maya Lin in Conversation, a publication produced by Women in Architcture + Design. Photos by Elise Wang.

including development of the foundations of a process for making; being active participants in our education; the essential paradigm shift around gender equality and diversity in our field; and being outspoken in politics to protect civil rights and ste ward our environment. The issues and solutions we discussed will stay with us throughout our careers and, we expect, provoke thoughtful response and design in the years to come.

November 17, 2016

M AY A L I N I N C O N V E R S A T I O N O n No v e m b e r 1 7 , 2 0 1 6 , t h e s t u d e n t - r u n o r g a n i z a t i o n Wo m e n i n Ar c h i t e c t u r e + D e s i g n ( W IA D ) h o s t e d a n i n t i m a t e c o nv e r s a t i o n b e t w e e n Ma y a L i n a n d t h e s t u d e n t s a n d f a c u l t y o f t h e S a m Fo x S c h o o l . Fo l l o w i n g t h i s , W IA D p r o d u c e d a p u b l i c a t i o n t o r e c o r d b o t h t h e a m b i e n c e a n d c o nv e r s a t i o n s t h a t t o o k p l a c e t h a t n i g h t . T h i s t e x t i s a n e x c e r p t , w r i t t e n b y Na t a s h a Ta b a c h n i k o f f , B S 1 7 , f r o m t h i s p u b l i c a t i o n .

70 71

Work shop R e v i e w Ethan Poh Bachelor of Design in Architecture, 2016 Ethan Poh, BDes16, makes a print during the Printmaking in Florence, Italy, workshop (summer 2015). Photo by Igor Marjanović.

Recently I was given the opportunity to give a pres entation on my exp erience studying abroad in Florence. As I prepared for the presentation I had a chance to ref lect on what distinguished my time in Florence f rom my time in S t . L o u i s . Ap a r t f r o m t h e a m a z i n g f o o d a n d t h e b r e a t h t a k i n g v i e w s o f t h e It a l i a n peninsula, the studio curriculum was also vastly different than what was t a u g h t d u r i n g t h e r e g u l a r s e m e s t e r. T h e summer program returned to the roots of the Renaissance focus on the arts as the basis of innovation, exemplified by the printmaking workshop led by Dean C a r m o n C o l a n g e l o, w h i c h w a s o n e o f the first events of the abroad program i n F l o r e n c e . We w e r e i n s t r u c t e d t o b r i n g in a collection of drawings and images relating to Florence and its surroundings; some were images sourced from the Internet, others were hand-drawn, and there were even rubbings taken from the exterior surfaces of a church visited on a previous studio excursion. I had

no prior experience with printmaking, so I walked into the studio unsure o f w h a t I w a s g e t t i n g m y s e l f i n t o. Dean C olangelo demonstrated how to operate the various printing presses in the studio before moving on to actual printing processes. What amazed me was the methodical manner in which ever ything was done. Ever y step had to be followed with a certain grace, and the method in which Dean Colangelo worked reflected his experience in the subject. From the act of rolling out the paper to the technique with which the ink was mixed and applied, ever ything was done d e l i b e r a t e l y a n d p r e c i s e l y. A s w i t h m o s t demonstrations, printmaking was a lot harder than it looked; it was a struggle to achieve a level of proficiency even close to his, yet the prints I made became the foundation for the remainder of the s u m m e r s t u d i o. A s I b e g a n e x p l o r i n g ways of organizing the compositions of prints, the relationship among various architectural ideas became Approach 25

Review

Pr intmaking in Florence, Italy

more apparent. Plans of a building can be juxtaposed over sections of the same building, and key elements can be highlighted through the negatives o f p r i n t s . Ab s t r a c t r e p r e s e n t a t i o n s o f Florence contextualized with the sketches I had drawn could be shown by simply overlaying images upon the printing p l a t e s a n d p r e s s i n g t h e m i n t o t h e p a p e r. As we worked Dean Colangelo walked around giving continuous feedback and providing insight into the printmaking process. The opportunity for pure experimentation in a new medium paired with guided advice resulted not just in some great works of art but also in architectural understanding as a whole. The works created were quite distinct f rom any of the architectural drawings we had done in previous semesters or studio environments. C olors, textures, lines, and void spaces were melded together to assemble prints that presented the architecture of Florence in an entirely d i f f e r e n t m a n n e r. T h e a b s t r a c t e d s y n e r g y of var ying building rudiments paved the way for a new approach to drawings f o r t h e r e s t o f t h e s u m m e r s t u d i o. Wo r k i n g f r e e l y t h r o u g h t h e a r t f o r m of printmaking gave me the confidence to expand my minds et on what an architectural drawing could be. S ections, elevations, plans, and diagrams do not have to be relegated neatly into their own

separate spaces on a page; they can be composed together as a coherent project. The studio projects from the Florence Summer Program speak to the mixing of art and architecture, creating poetics in space, and pushing the boundaries b e t w e e n c o m p l e x i t y a n d c l a r i t y. T h e printmaking studio presented a return to a time when art was much more intimate with architecture and science, done within a city that had pioneered that i n t i m a c y s o m a n y c e n t u r i e s a g o.

Summer 2015

Yiran Zhang, BS17, examines her print during the Printmaking in Florence, Italy, workshop (summer 2015). Photo by Igor Marjanović.

June 5, 2015

PRINTMAKING IN F L O R E N C E , I TA LY Washington University students who study abroad in Florence have the opportunity to engage with printmaking as part of their studio work. Carmon Colangelo, Ralph J. Nagel Dean of the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts, leads a workshop that is held during the first week of classes, in which students from both art and architecture work together in the print studio at Santa Reparata International School of Art.

72 73

E x hibiti on R e v i e w Rachel LeFevre Bachelor of Science in Architecture, 2017 Installation view, To See Without Being Seen: Contemporary Art and Drone Warfare, Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, Washington University in St. Louis, 2016. At left, selections from Tomas van Houtryve, Blue Sky Days, 2013–14. Gelatin silver prints on baryta paper, 26 x 40" each. Courtesy of the artist. Photo by Jean Paul Torno.

Informative and objective, filmmaker a n d d i r e c t o r Pe t e r Yo s t’s 2 0 1 3 f i l m R i s e of the Drones, which was shown as part o f t h e S c h o o l’s P u b l i c L e c t u r e S e r i e s in Februar y 2016, ser ved as the perfect a c c o m p a n i m e n t t o t h e e x h i b i t i o n To S e e Wi t h o u t B e i n g S e e n : C o n t e m p o r a r y Ar t a n d D r o n e Wa r f a r e , w h i c h w a s o n v i e w a t t h e M i l d r e d L a n e K e m p e r A r t Mu s e u m ( Ja n u a r y 2 9 – Ap r i l 2 4 , 2 0 1 6 ) . Rise of the Drones traces the development of remotely piloted, unmanned aircraft, colloquially known as drones, from their infant stages in the 1970s and 1980s to their modern form as it evolved in the 1990s and early twenty-first c e n t u r y. F u n d e d b y DA R PA ( D e f e n s e Ad v a n c e d R e s e a r c h P r o j e c t s A g e n c y o f t h e Un i t e d S t a t e s ) a n d t h e U S m i l i t a r y, drone prototypes were initially created to reduce the likelihood of militar y escalation and the capture of American s p i e s o n C o l d Wa r r e c o n n a i s s a n c e m i s s i o n s t o o b t a i n a e r i a l i m a g e r y. H o w e v e r, d e s p i t e i n t e n s e e f f o r t s , s t e a l t h y

and efficient use of drones was not possible until the 1990s, when the improved quality of GPS and satellites a l l o w e d f o r g r e a t e r c o n t r o l . To d a y, drone use has reached unprecedented levels, replacing standard aircraft wherever possible. The film presents both the pros and cons of drone use, placing both points of view within historical context w i t h o u t p r i o r i t i z i n g o n e o v e r t h e o t h e r. It c o n s i d e r s t h e f a c t t h a t w h i l e d r o n e s remove pilots from cockpits, they are more accurate than other methods of militar y inter vention and can f ly for g r e a t e r d u r a t i o n s . Ye t a t t h e s a m e t i m e , they lack the ability to make judgment calls and can accidentally kill innocent civilians or violate international laws. These risks are exacerbated by unregulated and secretive use of drones in current militar y operations in Afghanistan, Pakistan, S omalia, a n d Ye m e n . Approach 25

Review

To S e e Wi t h o u t B e i n g S e e n : C o n t e m p o r a r y A r t a n d D r o n e Wa r f a r e

This objective view complements the more critical view of drone use taken by the artists in the exhibition. As a critique the exhibition works to give viewers i n s i g h t i n t o t h e w a y s t h a t d r o n e s “s e e” and the mistakes inherent in the act of seeing. For example, black-and-white p h o t o g r a p h s f r o m To m a s v a n Ho u t r y v e’s Blue Sky Days (2013–14) s er ve as meditations on ever yday gatherings while s i m u l t a n e o u s l y s u g g e s t i n g t h a t a d r o n e’s view might misinterpret these ever yday activities as potential threats.

surrounding the use of drones within t h e w o r l d’s c u r r e n t g e o p o l i t i c a l c o n t e x t . Balanced objective and subjective views provided by the film and exhibition tackle complex questions of perspective and motive, cost and benefit. While neither draws any real conclusions ab out the topic, both are useful meditations on a set of questions with, perhaps, no easy answers.

Spring 2016

Tr e v o r P a g l e n’s Un t i t l e d ( R e a p e r D r o n e ) (2010) works along the same lines, suggesting that our own human vision is limited compared to that of drones: hidden in plain sight, drones are often obscured by glorious horizons and b r e a t h t a k i n g s u n s e t s . F u r t h e r, t h e exhibition calls into question the concept of unregulated sur veillance, such as Hito S t e y e r l’s w o r k H OW N O T T O B E S E E N : A F u c k i n g D i d a c t i c E d u c a t i o n a l . M OV File (2013), which is quite literally a guide to avoiding detection by drones. It c o m p l e m e n t s o t h e r w o r k s i n t h e exhibition that play with the notion of disguise by employing the visual methods of calibration that drones use. To g e t h e r, R i s e o f t h e D r o n e s a n d To S e e Wi t h o u t B e i n g S e e n p r o v i d e a r e a s o n a b l y complete picture of the discourse

Hito Steyerl, still from HOW NOT TO BE SEEN: A Fucking Didactic Educational .MOV File, 2013. Single-channel HD digital video and sound, 15:52 min. Courtesy of the artist and Andrew Kreps Gallery, New York. Image CC 4.0 Hito Steyerl.

Januar y 29–Apr il 24, 2016

TO SEE WITHOUT BEING SEEN: C O N T E M P O R A RY A RT A N D D R O N E WA R F A R E 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 complements the educational endeavors of the College of Architecture. In the spring of 2016, the Museum organized To See Without Being Seen: Contemporary Art and Drone Warfare, an exhibition presenting an international array of contemporary artworks that engage the geopolitical aspects of drone warfare and surveillance. 74 75

Char re tte R e v i e w George Zhang Bachelor of Science in Architecture, 2017 George Zhang's winning drawing, titled Mekong Turntable, contains multiple layers of mylar and printed paper in addition to a three-dimensional component (string, pins, museum board). Photo by George Zhang.

P a c k e d w i t h e n t h u s i a s m a n d c r e a t i v i t y, the 2016 Fitzgibbon Charrette was an energetic three hours of work that allowed us to both reflect and build on our studio projects at hand while revisiting analog drawing and using it as a primar y way of making design d e c i s i o n s . It w a s a n i c e j u m p s t a r t , a f t e r having been away from our studios over spring break, to boost our creativity for t h e s e c o n d h a l f o f t h e s e m e s t e r. It w a s also a great way to synthesize the studio material so far and start to efficiently brainstorm ideas, which played a pivotal role in helping me set straight the concept for my Option Studio project. My O p t i o n S t u d i o i n t h i s c a s e — c a l l e d Archidam (s ee pages 57–61)—involved a month-long research phase that looked at the construction of dams along the Me k o n g R i v e r b a s i n i n S o u t h e a s t A s i a ,

especially their relationship to and i m p a c t o n t h e r e g i o n’s p o l i t i c s , e c o l o g y, a n d s o c i e t y. My r e s e a r c h f o c u s e d o n t h e ecological and social segmentation and fragmentation that are created by these dams and barriers, as well as ways in which this could be improved through d e s i g n . It w a s a l o n g p r o c e s s o f r i g o r o u s design research, and the charrette was especially helpful, as it prompted me to “t h i n k o u t s i d e t h e b o x ” b y c o m i n g u p with a way to repres ent my design ideas a n d i n t e r v e n t i o n s m o r e s p o n t a n e o u s l y, through the us e of my hands. This y e a r ’s c h a r r e t t e a s k e d u s t o w o r k w i t h a drawing we made for our midterm r e v i e w, c r e a t i n g a n a t u r a l e v o l u t i o n f r o m our research to the design phase. After looking at precedents across disciplines, I was inspired by the idea of a railway t u r n t a b l e a s s e e n i n Ja m e s C o r n e r ’s c l a s s i c p u b l i c a t i o n Ta k i n g Me a s u r e s a c r o s s

Approach 25

Review

Fitzgibbon Charrette

t h e Am e r i c a n L a n d s c a p e , w h i c h b r e a k s u p a linear network to allow transaction and train access from different directions. C o n s e q u e n t l y, I d r e w a n a c t u a l t u r n i n g dial that connected different points across the landscape, allowing me to begin to conceptualize the complexities of the site.

amazed by how much creative work my studio-mates and I were able to produce in just three hours—it showed how powerfully a few hours of focused output could add to our design work. Despite lasting only one short afternoon, the charrette taught us lessons that will take u s f a r i n o u r d e s i g n e d u c a t i o n a n d c a r e e r.

Spring 2016

This was a refreshing experience, since we had been relying on mostly digital ways of making in previous studios. This was also a good reminder of how the way of making is inherently tied to the result of a design, and how crossing back and forth between the screen and the hands is vital to creating a coherent proposal. Hands, human s cale, sp ontaneity and candidness—these are the ver y ways in which a design can begin to speak to the heart. At t h e c o n c l u s i o n , t o c e l e b r a t e t h e plethora of works, our drawings were s et up and displayed in Steinb erg Hall Galler y before they were reviewed by t h e j u r o r s . It w a s n i c e g e t t i n g t o s e e t h e works of colleagues from other studio sections, since this was the first time in the semester we were formally introduced t o e a c h o t h e r ’s t o p i c s a t h a n d . I w a s

George Zhang poses in front of his drawing. Photo by Alexandra Waller.

March 23, 2016

FITZGIBBON CHARRETTE In the annual Fitzgibbon Charrette all juniors and seniors participate in an intensive, one-day drawing event. The purpose of the charrette is to produce a beautiful, well-crafted drawing that also helps advance the students' current studio projects. Students are free to choose their own format, medium, and scale. The entries are judged by a panel of jurors that includes external visiting critics.

76 77

L e c t ure R e v i e w Rebecca Resnic Bachelor of Science in Architecture, 2018 Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Phyllis Lambert with a model of the Seagram Building in New York in 1955. Image courtesy Montreal Gazette Files.

It i s a c o m m o n d i f f i c u l t y, b a l a n c i n g t h e design of the architect, the vision of the patron, and the needs of the public. In h e r t a l k t i t l e d “A r c h i t e c t u r e : A P u b l i c C o n c e r n ,” w h i c h w a s d e l i v e r e d a s t h e E u g e n e J. M a c k e y Jr. L e c t u r e i n t h e S c h o o l’s P u b l i c L e c t u r e S e r i e s o n M a r c h 29, 2016, Phyllis L amb er t address ed this tension. She has a unique perspective on the crucial yet often overlooked relationship among these parties because she has taken on all three roles: in addition to practicing architecture, Lambert has ser ved as director of planning for the Seagram Building, as founding director of the Canadian C entre for Architecture (CCA), as an a u t h o r, a n d a s a n a d v o c a t e f o r a n d participant in public consultations as a tool for planning. The lecture followed the arc of her c a r e e r, b e g i n n i n g w i t h t h e S e a g r a m Building, which was commissioned by her f a t h e r, S a m u e l B r o n f m a n , a n d c o m p l e t e d

in 1958. Ser ving as director of planning allowed her to select Ludwig Mies van der Rohe as the architect and work alongside him in the process of creating one of the most recognizable plazas and t o w e r s o f t h e Ne w Yo r k C i t y s k y l i n e . M i e s van der Rohe demonstrated an innovative u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f a r c h i t e c t u r e’s relationship with the bustling sidewalks of Manhattan, using some of the b u i l d i n g ’s f o o t p r i n t t o c r e a t e a p l a z a , slightly raised from street level, that would ser ve as a welcoming enclosure for the public. This plaza ultimately led to n e w l a w s g o v e r n i n g Ne w Yo r k C i t y p u b l i c spaces around new buildings. The experience was so instrumental in t h e f o r m a t i o n o f L a m b e r t’s p a s s i o n f o r the relationship of architecture to the p u b l i c t h a t , a s s h e s a i d , s h e “d a t e s [ h e r p r o f e s s i o n a l ] b i r t h w i t h t h e b u i l d i n g .” In developing her own architectural practice, L ambert explained, she “wanted to know how to put buildings together Approach 25

Review

Phyllis Lambert

t h e w a y h e d i d .” O n e s u c h e x a m p l e i s h e r design of the Saidye Bronfman C entre i n Mo n t r e a l ( n o w t h e S e g a l C e n t r e f o r Pe r f o r m i n g A r t s ) , w h i c h a l l o w s p e o p l e o n the inside to see out and people outside to look in—at art and dance studios, a t h e a t e r, a n d m o r e . Mu c h l i k e t h e S e a g r a m B u i l d i n g ’s p l a z a , t h e C e n t r e’s a r c h i t e c t u r e encourages exchange between the public passing by and the occupants of the space.

d i m e n s i o n a l m a p p i n g o f D NA b y Pe t e r Eisenman, and an exhibition about the A m e r i c a n l a w n . Pe r h a p s l e s s k n o w n about the CCA is its vast archives and commitment to the digitization and recording of significant developments in architecture.

In addition to her work as an architect, L ambert has greatly contributed to the preser vation and renewal of historic a r c h i t e c t u r e , p a r t i c u l a r l y i n Mo n t r e a l , where she lives. In 1975 she founded H é r i t a g e Mo n t r e a l , w h i c h u s e s p u b l i c funds to advocate for the conser vation o f h i s t o r i c a l b u i l d i n g s . It s m i s s i o n i s not only to preser ve architecture but also to motivate members of the public and help them understand historical b u i l d i n g s a s i f t h e y w e r e “a p a r t o f t h e i r o w n f a m i l y, a f a m i l y p o r t r a i t i n a w a y,” thus encouraging a sense of belonging. S h e a l s o s e r v e d o n t h e b o a r d o f t h e Vi e u x Po r t d e Mo n t r é a l , w h i c h u t i l i z e s p u b l i c consultation as a tool for urban planning. The public hearings demonstrate the power of citizen engagement, as they have successfully inf luenced many large governmental projects.

Spring 2016

I n m a n y w a y s t h e C C A b r i n g s L a m b e r t’s career full circle: from patron (or related to the patron) of iconic architecture, to architect, to pioneer in the preser vation and archiving of architecture. The thread that ties these seemingly different parts of her career together is certainly her p a s s i o n f o r a r c h i t e c t u r e’s r e l a t i o n s h i p with the public—her recognition, as she puts it, that the private realm of the patron and the public realm of a b u i l d i n g ’s o c c u p a n t s h a v e a n o b l i g a t i o n t o c o m e t o g e t h e r a n d “d e m o n s t r a t e h u m i l i t y, k i n d n e s s , r i g o r, a n d l o v e .”

F u r t h e r e v i d e n c e o f L a m b e r t’s commitment is the Canadian C entre f o r A r c h i t e c t u r e — “a r e s e a r c h m u s e u m dedicated to the conviction that a r c h i t e c t u r e i s a p u b l i c c o n c e r n .” It s e x h i b i t i o n s r a n g e w i d e l y, f r o m a mechanical wall that responds to the m o v e m e n t s o f p a s s e r s b y, t o t h r e e Master Class Studio at the Illinois Institute of Technology, c. 1961. Phyllis Lambert (center); left to right: unidentified individual, David Sharpe, Myron Goldsmith, and Jin Hwan Kim. Image courtesy Phyllis Lambert Fonds / Canadian Centre for Architecture.

March 29, 2016

PH Y L L I S L A M B E RT " A R C H I T E C T U R E : A P U B L I C C ON C E R N " 78 79

L e c t ure R e v i e w Mingxi Li Bachelor of Design in Architecture, 2018 Kengo Kuma. Photo by J.C. Carbonne.

On May 4, 2016, the Sam Fox S chool w e l c o m e d t h e i n f l u e n t i a l Ja p a n e s e a r c h i t e c t a n d t h e o r i s t K e n g o Ku m a to deliver the annual CannonDesign Lecture for Excellence in Architecture a n d E n g i n e e r i n g a s p a r t o f t h e S c h o o l’s P u b l i c L e c t u r e S e r i e s . T i t l e d “A n t i O b j e c t ,” t h e l e c t u r e f o c u s e d o n Ku m a’s conceptual approach over the past decades as illustrated by his architectural experimentations. Ku m a o p e n e d t h e l e c t u r e w i t h o n e o f his early projects, the Kitakami Canal Mu s e u m , t o e x e m p l i f y h i s p r a c t i c e o f antiseismic architecture. Embedded into the riverbank at the meeting of the K i t a k a m i C a n a l a n d K i t a k a m i R i v e r, t h e cur vilinear structure is one of the few that sur vived the greatest earthquake to e v e r h i t Ja p a n , i n 2 0 1 1 . C o m p r e h e n d i n g the particular geographical conditions o f Ja p a n , Ku m a h a s e x p l o r e d a n t i s e i s m i c d e s i g n s t h r o u g h o u t h i s c a r e e r. I n o n e of his most recent works, the Komatsu

S eiren Fabric L aborator y (an image of which was chosen for the lecture poster), he utilized carbon fiber produced by the client company to physically tie the structure to the ground, functioning as a structural reinforcement that also creates an elegant public space. After taking assistant professor S eng Ku a n’s c o u r s e t i t l e d T h e Ja p a n e s e Ho u s e , I h a v e g r a d u a l l y b e c o m e increasingly familiar with the lineage o f Ja p a n e s e a r c h i t e c t s . No t s u r p r i s i n g l y, Ku m a’s l e c t u r e f u r t h e r e d t h i s , c o n t i n u i n g t h e d i s c u s s i o n o f Ja p a n e s e i d e n t i t y i n a contemporar y context through his architectural approach. While he looks into historical precedents such as the Ho r y u j i Te m p l e a n d t h e Me i j i S h r i n e f o r af f irmations, he als o unconventionally seeks inspirations from furniture j o i n t s a n d t r a d i t i o n a l Ja p a n e s e t o y s . Wi t h i n t r i c a t e w o o d e n j o i n t s y s t e m s constructed through modular repetitions, Ku m a c r e a t e s w h a t h e c a l l s a n t i o b j e c t s , Approach 25

Review

Kengo Kuma

or structures that do not have rigid boundaries but are made entirely of m o d u l e s . To h i m , t h e r e p e t i t i o n o f a single unit is analogous to how cells f o r m a h u m a n b o d y. Ku m a’s c o m p l e x handcrafted details are inspired by the t r a d i t i o n a l Ja p a n e s e a r c h i t e c t u r e s y l e in which the structural elements of the building are exposed to constitute its formal language. This approach is particularly evident in his designs for a S t a r b u c k s a t D a z a i f u Te n m a n - g ū O m o t e s a n d o, a n d t h e G C P r o s t h o Mu s e u m Research C enter in Aichi Prefecture.

w o o d i n t o t h e i n t e r i o r s p a c e . Un l i k e o t h e r c o n t e m p o r a r y Ja p a n e s e a r c h i t e c t s , f o r Ku m a t h i s u s e o f l o c a l a n d t r a d i t i o n a l m a t e r i a l s s u c h a s w o o d , b a m b o o, a n d stone is common.

I n 2 0 0 0 Ku m a w a s c o m m i s s i o n e d t o d e s i g n t h e Na k a g a w a - m a c h i B a t o H i r o s h i g e Mu s e u m o f A r t o n a s i t e c l o s e t o a m o u n t a i n . “My c l i e n t t o l d m e , ‘we want an entrance facing the public p a r k i n g l o t .’ I s a i d , ' T h i s i s A m e r i c a n s t y l e .’” I n h i s f i n a l d e s i g n t h e m u s e u m’s entrance faces the mountain, framing a view of it, and deftly incorporates such local materials as rice paper and cedar

Starbucks at Dazaifu Tenman-gū Omotesando. Zaifu, Dazaifu, Fukuoka, Japan, 2011.

Spring 2016

As an undergraduate student in architecture, I felt especially fortunate t o l i s t e n t o Ku m a a s h e s p o k e c a n d i d l y a b o u t t h e l i f e o f h i s b u i l d i n g s . To w a r d the end of the lecture he brought up his Casalgrande Ceramic Cloud p r o j e c t , h i s f i r s t b u i l t p r o j e c t i n It a l y, consisting of a piled structure that was completely destroyed by a car accident. ( “ F o r t u n a t e l y,” h e a d d e d , “t h e d r i v e r sur vived because the structure was made o f c e r a m i c t i l e s .” ) Wi t h i t s e m p h a s i s o n material performance and its impact on b u i l t f o r m , Ku m a’s a r c h i t e c t u r a l p r a c t i c e continues to reexamine fundamental spatial elements and create beautiful architecture from the simplest materials, be it tiles, concrete, or wood.

Yusuhara Wooden Bridge Museum. Tarougawa, Yusuhara-cho, Takaoka-gun, Kochi, Japan, 2010.

May 4, 2016

KENGO KUMA “A N T I O B J E C T ” 80 81

Approach 24

School Reads

Architects are designers but also readers. These vignettes provide a snapshot of what various faculty members and students in the College of Architecture 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 the undergraduate program, uniquely positioned between architecture's disciplinary knowledge and the liberal arts.

82 83

Jun Bae

Eleanor Knowles

Bachelor of Design in Architecture, 2016

Bachelor of Science in Architecture, 2019 candidate

R e a d i n g R e c o r d i n g R e a l i t y, D e s i r i n g

I a m i n t e r e s t e d i n p h o t o g r a p h y, a n d

the Real by Elizabeth Cowie has

I am currently reading a selection

been transformative for me. The

o f b o o k s o n B a u h a u s p h o t o g r a p h y,

a u t h o r ’s k e e n a n a l y t i c a l a p p r o a c h

including the experimental work of

helps us understand documentar y

L á s z l ó Mo h o l y - Na g y. I a m e s p e c i a l l y

as factual and as political, as stor y

interested in the Bauhaus approach

and as art. This approach ultimately

to photographing architecture using

gave me the agenc y to produce

innovative camera viewpoints. I

Ta l e o f Tw o C i t i e s ( E x o d u s ) , w h i c h

am also reading the novel All the

investigates the divided city of

L i g h t We C a n n o t S e e b y A n t h o n y

St. Louis through a series of short

D o e r r, w h i c h t e l l s t h e s t o r y o f a

documentaries. One of the features

blind French girl and a German

that distinguishes documentar y

o r p h a n b o y d u r i n g Wo r l d Wa r

from other forms of media is

II. Doerr uses fascinating spatial

the prominent role of ethics,

descriptions, laying out French

particularly in terms of developing

cities and towns in minute detail.

healthy relationships with subjects. What do documentar y filmmakers owe the audience and the subject? How clos e to a subjec t is to o clos e? How far is to o far? Thes e are t he questions that will continue to inf luence my pro cess of creating a r t i s t i c r e p r e s e n t a t i o n s o f r e a l i t y.

Approach 25

W h a t A r e Yo u R e a d i n g ?

Students

Rory Thibault

Johanna Ye e

Bachelor of Design in Architecture, 2017

Bachelor of Design in Architecture, 2018 candidate

The b o oks on my desk are related

Ka f k a o n t h e S h o r e b y H a r u k i

to my interest in the historical

Mu r a k a m i i s a m o v i n g n o v e l f i l l e d

connection between the built and

with magical realism and raw

natural environments. Profess or

emotion. The book is written in

R o d B a r n e t t’s f a s c i n a t i n g a n d

alternating chapters that follow

provocative Emergence in Landscape

two different but interrelated plot

Ar c h i t e c t u r e t h o r o u g h l y c h a n g e d

lines. One of the main characters,

my idea of lands cap e architecture.

Na k a t a , l o s t m o s t o f h i s m e n t a l

The book revolves around

capabilities in a mysterious accident

the concept of emergence and

at a young age and as a result has

contextualizes it within scientific

w h a t i s d e s c r i b e d a s h a l f a s h a d o w,

t h o u g h t , p h i l o s o p h y, a n d e c o l o g y.

o n e t h a t i s l e s s d e f i n e d . Na k a t a’s

T h e c h a p t e r “ K e y C o n c e p t s” i s

struggle to make himself whole

particularly interesting in its

again is representative of what I

elucidation of a wide range of ideas,

feel ever y person goes through on

supplemented by references to

o n e l e v e l o r a n o t h e r. I a l s o r e l i s h

projects both built and theoretical.

t h e w a y Mu r a k a m i w e a v e s d e t a i l s o f

2017

Ja p a n e s e c u l t u r e a n d t r a d i t i o n i n t o his fantastical tales.

W HAT A R E YO U R E A D I N G ? STUDENTS 84 85

Chandler Ahrens

Robert McCarter

Assistant Professor of Architecture

Ruth and Norman Moore Professor of Architecture

I have been reading several books

O ver the 2016–2017 winter break

in preparation for a publication I

I read fifteen books, three of

am working on that explores how

w h i c h s t o o d o u t . T h e Inv e n t i o n o f

information technologies have

Na t u r e : A l e x a n d e r v o n Hu m b o l d t ’s

transformed the way we perceive our

Ne w Wo r l d b y A n d r e a Wu l f i s a

h u m a n e n v i r o n m e n t . L e v M a n o v i c h’s

remarkable study of a scientist and

S o f t w a r e Ta k e s C o m m a n d d i s c u s s e s

ecologist who was arguably the

how information technolog y has

most famous person in the world

infiltrated ever y aspect of our

i n t h e 1 8 0 0 s , i n f l u e n c i n g He n r y

l i v e s . D u m o d e d’e x i s t e n c e d e s o b j e t s

David Thoreau, Charles Dar win,

techniques by Gilbert Simondon

a n d S i m ó n B o l í v a r, y e t w h o i s a l l

theorizes how technical innovation

b u t c o m p l e t e l y f o r g o t t e n t o d a y.

e v o l v e s . G e o r g e s Te y s s o t t r a c e s

W h i t e Ma g i c : T h e Ag e o f P a p e r b y

the numerous heterogeneous and

L o t h a r Mü l l e r t r a c e s t h e e v o l u t i o n

differentiated objects, behaviors,

of pap er-making and how it has

and phenomena generated by

transformed the world, both as a

i n n o v a t i o n i n A To p o l o g y o f Ev e r y d a y

physical fact and as a conceptual

Constellations. How t he combination

s t r u c t u r e f o r t h i n k i n g . Hu n g e r b y

of multiple architectural objects

Knut Hamsun—w hos e work Ernest

or characteristics promotes new

He m i n g w a y c r e d i t s a s t e a c h i n g

organizations is the focus of Thom

him how to write—is a novel of

M a y n e’s C o m b i n a t o r y Ur b a n i s m :

astonishing experiential richness

The Complex Behav ior of Collective

about a star ving writer in Oslo in

Fo r m . A n d J o h n F r a z e r d i s c u s s e s

the 1880s and his surreal encounters

how computation inf luences the

with a cruel but beautiful world.

advancement of architectural design i n An Ev o l u t i o n a r y Ar c h i t e c t u r e .

Approach 25

W h a t A r e Yo u R e a d i n g ?

Faculty

Lindsey Stouffer

Natalie Ya t e s

Senior Lecturer in Art and Architecture

Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture

In supp or t of my current studio

I am currently carr ying at least one

work I am reading The Oxford

of thes e in my bag: The Enc yclopedia

Ha n d b o o k o f S o u n d a n d Im a g e i n

o f Tr o u b l e a n d S p a c i o u s n e s s b y

We s t e r n Ar t , e d i t e d b y Ya e l K a d u r i ;

R e b e c c a S o l n i t , O n P h o t o g r a p hy b y

In t e r a c t i v e Ar t a n d E m b o d i m e n t :

S u s a n S o n t a g , a n d T h e Wi n d u p G i r l

T h e Im p l i c i t B o d y a s P e r f o r m a n c e b y

by Paolo B acigalupi. On my Kindle

Na t h a n i e l S t e r n ; a n d Im m a t e r i a l i s m :

o r i P a d I h a v e : Ve r o n i k a D e c i d e s

Objects and Social Theor y by

t o D i e : A No v e l o f R e d e m p t i o n b y

Graham Harman. I am waiting

P a u l o C o e l h o, E a s y Mo n e y : A No v e l

anxiously for the release of The

by Jens L apidus, The Golden Spruce:

Rise of Realism by Manuel DeL anda

A Tr u e S t o r y o f My t h , Ma d n e s s , a n d

and Harman. On my imaginar y

G r e e d b y J o h n Va i l l a n t , a n d Wa l k i n g

c o f f e e t a b l e a r e Ar c h i m e d e s : T h e

b y He n r y D a v i d T h o r e a u . T h e s t a c k

Ar t a n d S c i e n c e o f Inv e n t i o n b y t h e

on my table at home includes:

Mu s e o G a l i l e o ; Wa n g e c h i Mu t u : A

Composite Landscapes: Photomontage

Shady Promise, edited by Douglas

a n d L a n d s c a p e Ar c h i t e c t u r e , e d i t e d

S i n g l e t o n ; a n d Sw e e t No t h i n g s : No t e s

b y C h a r l e s Wa l d h e i m a n d A n d r e a

a n d Te x t s b y M a r l e n e D u m a s . To

Hans en; Bic ycle Diar ies by David

e n d t h e d a y, t h e r e i s Ka f k a o n t h e

Byrne; and Screening the Body :

S h o r e b y H a r u k i Mu r a k a m i .

Tr a c i n g Me d i c i n e’s Vi s u a l C u l t u r e b y

2017

Lisa Cartwright.

W HAT A R E YO U R E A D I N G ? FA C U LT Y 86 87