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{atmospheric} 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 Architecture is taught in the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts 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.
{atmospheric} Approach Dedicated to Jared Crane (1996–2018)
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Approach 24
Issue 26
{atmospheric} 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 26, {Atmospheric} Approach, focuses on a series of studios that engage with aspects of atmosphere—from the material explorations of air and climate to the conceptual notion of ambience in architecture and urbanism. It presents a selection of projects generated by the second semester Core Studio titled Air: Flight of Icarus, the third semester Core Studio titled Rendering Light: A Single Theater with Two Characters, and a selection of Option Studios, all of which engaged various qualities of atmosphere in relation to site, building, and program.
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{Atmospheric} Approach Issue 26 2019
Editor Igor Marjanović
Managing Editor Jane E. Neidhardt
Designer Elisa Kim
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
Š 2 0 1 9 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.
ISBN 978-0-9885244-5-3 P r i n t e d i n It a l y b y C o n t i T i p o c o l o r, F l o r e n c e
Cover image: Haey (Xiying) Ma Drawing and collage on vellum Option Studio: Disegno (summer 2017) Approach 24
STUDENT CONTRIBUTORS
Sebastian Bernal Ta t i a n n a C a p k o Dylan Chan A m y ( Q i n Ye ) C h e n John Adrian Anak Christopher Francisco Coch Jared Crane Linda (Jiachen) Deng Maddie Farrer We n t a o G u o Charles Hart Marcellus Johnson Jillian Katz Eleanor Knowles Haey (Xiying) Ma Yu t o n g M a Ruth Blair Moyers Sophie Olund Rebecca Resnic Jenna Schnitzler Rebecca Shen Aaron Smolar L e i l e i Wu R y a n Wu J o h a n n a Ye e George Zhang
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CONTENTS {atmospheric} INTRODUCTIONS
Director's Introduction H e a t h e r Wo o f t e r Chair's Notes Igor Marjanović
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{atmospheric} CORE STUDIOS
S emester Two
Semester Three
Core Introduction Sung Ho Kim
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Air: Flight of Icarus Course Coordinator: K e l l e y Va n D y c k M u r p h y
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Rendering Light: A Single T h e a t e r w i t h Tw o C h a r a c t e r s Course Coordinator: C o n s t a n c e Va l e
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{atmospheric} OPTION STUDIOS
Spring 2017
Fall 2017
Summer 2016, 2017, 2018
Anxious Environments: Effects and Affects of Intensive Care Chandler Ahrens
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Disappearing Ground Gia Daskalakis
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Disegno: Encounters in Public Space Course Coordinator: Igor Marjanović
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Approach 24
SCHO OL CULTURE
Printmaking in Florence, Italy Linda (Jiachen) Deng
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Te a c h i n g G a l l e r y R e v i e w
Reframing Feminism: Visualizing Wo m e n , G e n d e r, a n d S e x u a l i t y Jillian Katz
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Exhibition Review
Kader Attia: Reason's Oxymorons A m y ( Q i n Ye ) C h e n
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L a s k e y C h a r r e t t e : T h e Wo r l d N e e d s a New Network J o h n A d r i a n A n a k C h r i s t o p h e r, S e b a s t i a n B e r n a l , We n t a o G u o
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Bijoy Jain, "L ore" Francisco Coch
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M a r y M c L e o d , " To M a k e S o m e t h i n g with Nothing" Ruth Blair Moyers
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Wo r k s h o p R e v i e w
Charrette Review
Lecture Reviews
SCHOOL READS
W h a t A r e Yo u R e a d i n g ?
Students Ta t i a n n a C a p k o Jared Crane Marcellus Johnson Jenna Schnitzler
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Faculty Katharina Giraldi Ye n H a Linda C. Samuels C o n s t a n c e Va l e
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Approach 24
{atmospheric} Introductions
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DI R E C T OR ' S I N T RODUC T ION Heather Woof ter D i r e c t o r, 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 S a m a n d Ma r i l y n Fo x P r o f e s s o r
C o m m o n Un d e r g r a d u a t e S e c o n d M a j o r s a n d Mi n o r s American Culture Studies Anthropolog y Archaeolog y Architectural Histor y and Theor y Art Art Histor y Biology Business C omputer S cience C r e a t i v e Wr i t i n g
Throu g hout t his volu me, u nd e rg r a du ate stu d e nt s and f a c u lt y share d r aw i ngs and mo d els cho s e n for t he i r elus ive qu a lit i e s . The i r work i nvoke s ou r i mag i nat i on t hrou g h c are f u l ly c onst r u c te d re pre s e nt at i ons t hat of te n susp e nd f u l l pr a c t i c a l u nd e rst and i ng of t he proj e c t s c ont ai ne d he re i n . Fo ste r i ng w hat one m i g ht c a l l an at mo sphe re of t r ans fe r, c ol le c t ively t he y su g ge st t he p ass i ng of k now le d ge as wel l as t he i mpr i nt of a photo g r aph or t he i ns c r ipt i on of a d r aw i ng . In t r ibute to t he Br it ish archite c t and profe ss or Wi l l A ls op — w ho re c e nt ly p ass e d away— I am remi nd e d of t he c e nt r a l i mp or t anc e of ma k i ng as a c onte mpl at ive a c t i n t he d is c ipli ne of arch ite c tu re. In a 2 0 0 9 i nte r v i e w w it h T he Guardian, A ls op s ai d :
Design Drama Economics English Literature Entrepreneurship Environmental Studies F i l m a n d Me d i a S t u d i e s Germanic L anguages and Literatures G l o b a l He a l t h a n d t h e E n v i r o n m e n t Ja p a n e s e L a n g u a g e a n d C u l t u r e L andscape Architecture Marketing Mathematics Mu s i c Philos ophy Physics Ps y c h o l o g i c a l & B r a i n S c i e n c e s Ur b a n D e s i g n Wr i t i n g
Painting to me i s a way of e x plor ing architec ture …. If I spe nt all my time painting, it wouldn' t mean I ' d g ive n up thinking about architec ture . I can sit in my studio on a S aturday mor ning and f ind s omething on a large piece of pape r, and the feeling that you get i s almost a s good a s hav ing f ini shed a building that ' s tur ned out all r ight. It ' s not about desig ning s omething, it ' s about di s cove r ing what s omething could be —and I think that ' s a ve r y impor tant di stinc tion. 1 In for m i ng t he subte x t of t he stu d e nt s ' proj e c t s are t he v ar i ous a c a d e m i c i nte re st s t he y pu rsu e. T he list i nclu d e d he re is a s ampli ng of common m i nor and d ouble maj or a c t iv it i e s . It is ama zi ng to t hi n k of t he d e f i n it i on of atmosphere as t he proli f i c v ib e of a s cho ol i m me rs e d i n le ar n i ng p atte r ns t hat k now no b ou nds . If you re a d b e t we e n t he li ne s , you w i l l s e e bu i ld i ngs and s o mu ch more. 1
Wi l l A ls op, as quote d in Ste ve R os e, "Wi l l A ls op
R etur ns to Archite c ture," The Guardian , Novemb er 2, 2009, w w w.t hegu ardi an.c om/ar t anddesig n/2009/nov Eleanor Knowles Model: acetate on museum board Semester Three: Light (fall 2016)
/02/w i l l-a ls op-archite c ture.
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CHA I R ' S NOT E 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 Jo An n e S t o l a r o f f C o t s e n P r o f e s s o r T h e d i n i n g - r o o m s e a t e d e i g h t e e n a t d i n n e r. . . , b u t i n t h e m o r n i n g o n l y s e v e n p e o p l e g a t h e r e d r o u n d t h e t a b l e , s o t h a t b r e a k f a s t h a d t h e a i r o f a f a m i l y m e a l . Ev e r y o n e c a m e d o w n i n s l i p p e r s , a n d t o n g u e s w e r e l o o s e d i n t h e a t m o s p h e r e o f i n t i m a c y, a n d e v e r y o n e f e l t f r e e t o v o i c e h i s o p i n i o n s b o l d l y. . . . — Ho n o r é d e B a l z a c , O l d G o r i o t 1
In this description of a dining room, Honoré de Balzac describes a place of encounter for the inhabitants of Maison Vauquer, a Parisian boarding house: the protagonist Eugène de Rastignac, an ambitious law student focused on social mobility, and Madame Vauquer, the longtime owner of the house, among others. In his realistic narrative, Balzac describes the building's interior in great detail, including the "stuffiness" of the atmosphere with its "moldy odor of decay." 2 This description mirrors the decaying urban landscape of early industrial Paris, yet the social setting of the house creates an intimacy too. In painting this picture, Balzac depicts a moment in histor y that was ripe with the expansion of capitalism and social tensions foreshadowing revolution, such as the 1871 Paris Commune, while at the same time promoting the concept of atmosphere as a social phenomenon exemplified by the Maison Vauquer dining table. Here at Washington University in St. Louis, we see the culture of our school similarly as one of familiarity and social openness. We take this broad understanding of atmosphere—a phenomenon that is both natural and cultural— as a prelude for our design studios. We study the impact of environmental effects on buildings—probing the relationship between architecture and weather—as well as the social impact of buildings on the world around them. Our design studio sequence is grouped in two parts. The Core Studio sequence consists of the first five semesters of the program, each tackling a particular natural phenomenon: ground, air, light, atmosphere, and water. What follows is a sequence of Option Studios, Jenna Schnitzler M o d e l : r i c e p a p e r, c o t t o n s t r i n g , b r a s s grommets Semester Three: Light (fall 2016)
where students choose from a menu of topics that reflect faculty research and current issues around the world. Drawing on this wide array of offerings, this issue of Approach focuses on a selection of studios that use natural, social, or cultural atmosphere as their main focus. All of these studies are enriched by the vibrant cultural life of the College and its lectures, exhibitions, and workshops, some of which are reviewed by students in this issue. Despite the political trepidations of the world around it, Madame Vauquer's dining table always offered an "atmosphere of intimacy" and comfort to all its residents. Echoing such openness, our College is a closely knit community of students, faculty, and staff members. The scale of the program allows us to nurture a culture of communication, action, and respect and to project that culture into the world around us. This is not dissimilar to Balzac's closing scene, when Rastignac, having climbed to one of the highest points in Paris, looks out over the city as the lamps were beginning to shine and, in a moment of revolutionar y fer vor, defiantly proclaims, "It's war between us now!" 3 While much has changed since Balzac wrote these lines, some things remain the same: the simple magic of a dining table and the allure of a city at night—the former projecting a sense of social comfort, the latter veiling subdued social tensions. Taken together, they form an architectural, social, and cultural atmosphere of a place and, perhaps, an ambience of imminent change, forecasting a revolution that is yet to come. 1
Honoré de Balzac, Old Goriot (1834), trans. Marion
Ayton Crawford (Baltimore: Penguin Books, 1919), 35. 2
Ibid., 31.
3
Ibid., 304.
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Approach 24
{atmospheric} Core Studios 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, the noted botanist and explorer, traversed Latin America, exploring a number of plant species. He documented his findings through text and drawing, suggesting the importance not only of travel but also of 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 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 program located on and informed by water. These bookend a sequence of studios that probe natural phenomena from a variety of approaches. Featured in this edition of Approach is work from two studios that focus on the atmospheric qualities of architecture, both within and outside built structures: Semester Two, titled Air: Flight of Icarus, and Semester Three, titled Rendering Light: A Single Theater with Two Characters.
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C ORE I N T RODUC T ION Sung Ho Kim P r o f e s s o r o f Ar c h i t e c t u r e
On May 20 and 21, 1927, Charles Lindbergh—the controversial adventurer and public figure—took the first solo transatlantic f light f r o m L o n g I s l a n d , Ne w Yo r k , t o P a r i s , France, in a custom-built, high-wing, single-seated monoplane. The plane was called "Spirit of St. Louis" in honor of Lindbergh's supporters in what was then his hometown of St. Louis, M i s s o u r i . It i s t h u s f i t t i n g t h a t o n e o f the C ore Studios in the undergraduate a r c h i t e c t u r e 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 — t h e s e c o n d semester C ore Studio—relates to the concept of f light.
work of the second semester Core Studio embraces this ethos by approaching technolog y through theoretical as well as technical means, with an emphasis o n f r e e d o m , c o u r a g e , a n d r e s p o n s i b i l i t y. Once students experience this kind of material exploration, they are awakened to obser ve the world with a more critical eye and the confidence to "fly" toward the unknown as they pursue their engagement w i t h t h e a r c h i t e c t u r e o f m a t t e r.
A great architectural education begins with freedom of exploration and builds self-awareness through the process of architectural production—a practice of making physical objects, including by hand, that is particularly important in the contemporar y world of virtual communication and social media. This kind of education through making encourages students to develop their own approach to the material and ultimately their own attitude toward the discipline and the world. The second semester Core Studio—Air : Flig ht of Icar us—investigates cas e studies of aerodynamic precedents that explore techniques of f light. L e a r n i n g t h e s e t e c h n i q u e s , h o w e v e r, i s j u s t o n e a s p e c t o f t h e s t u d i o. Equally important is that the students are challenged to transform these techniques and make them their own, m i r r o r i n g M a r t i n He i d e g g e r ' s c o n c e p t o f t e c h n o l o g y. F o r He i d e g g e r, t h e essence of technolog y is to reveal and illuminate ways of being human. The
J o h a n n a Ye e Model: polystyrene Semester Three: Light (fall 2015) 16 17
AIR: Flig ht of Icar u s S e m e s t e r
T w o
Course Coordinator K e l l e y Va n D y c k M u r p h y S t u d i o F a c u l t y, S p r i n g 2 0 1 6 , 2 0 1 7 , 2018 Joshua Chi Shun Chan Elisa Kim A l e x a n d r a Wa l l e r S amu el Xu
Ai r i s t h e w o r d f o r a t m o s p h e r e u s e d in breathing and photosynthesis. The atmosphere of the earth is a layer of gases surrounding the planet that is retained by e a r t h ' s g r a v i t y. T h i s a t m o s p h e r e p r o t e c t s life on earth by absorbing ultraviolet solar radiation, warming the surface of the planet through heat retention (greenhouse effect) and reducing temperature extremes between day and night (diurnal temperature variations). In the second semester C ore Studio students e n g a g e 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 explored in a project that centers on the design and construction of a f lying machine. Students acquire a basic understanding of the kinetic properties 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 d r a w i n g s to study f light, from kites to aircrafts, f rom t he myt h of Icar us to ot her c ultural m e t a p h o r s f r o m a r o u n d t h e w o r l d . Va r i o u s ass embly techniques are us ed to investigate performative aspects of form and material relative to the movement and properties of a i r. T h e s e p r o t o t y p e s p r o b e t h e i n t e r a c t i o n of surface and structure with airflow to study structural systems, joints, and geometries. The final iteration of the kite represents a revision of earlier f lying prototypes and is executed through both physical and digital mo deling. The project is complemented with analytical drawings that describe the kite's f light path, 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.
Sophie Olund M o d e l : m y l a r, a l u m i n u m t u b e s , s t r i n g S e m e s t e r Tw o : A i r ( s p r i n g 2 0 1 6 )
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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 26
Studio Faculty : Samuel Xu
S e m e s t e r Tw o : Air
Spring 2017
DYL A N C HAN
worm’s eye worm’s view eye view
My project, inspired by the anatomy of ocean salps, was developed through a series of visits to the hardware store with the goal of designing a kite made from a kit of found parts. The plan is based on the use of cable ferrules, retaining rings, and springs, which, combined with wooden dowels, allow for both controlled flexibility and structural strength. A network of black nylon—over 100 yards in length—counters the tension provided by the springs, creating a frame that is sturdy yet shock absorbent. The whole kite can be easily assembled and disassembled and stored in a flat pack or standard document tube.
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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 26
Studio Faculty : K e l l e y Va n D y c k M u r p h y
S e m e s t e r Tw o : Air
Spring 2016
MADDIE FAR R E R For this project I focused on combining the fluidity of Aurelia aurita (moon jellyfish) and the structural nature of a box kite. I experimented with radial cuts in paper to produce a form that would undulate like a jellyfish. To give this form structure, I added pockets of iridescent cellophane in order to trap air to produce lift. After testing the model, I found the structure tended to invert from air pressure when in flight, so I rearranged my design to fly in the opposite direction. I mimicked the box kite's ability to channel air by adjusting the vertical openings of the cellophane pocket and adding several asymmetrical bells to reflect the fluctuating nature of the jellyfish. Finally, I added larger cellophane pockets to increase the surface area and thereby intensify air resistance. The long inner tails allow the undulating motion to be present in the design, maintaining a balance between the rigid nature of a box kite and the graceful rippling of a jellyfish.
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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 26
Studio Faculty : Elisa Kim
S e m e s t e r Tw o : Air
Spring 2017
WE NTAO GU O
This project combines the flowing mechanisms of two precedents. The first one is a living precedent—Mobula ray—which I chose because of its trigonometric function movement, its delicate radial skeleton, and the way its skin gently connects to the skeleton to form an organic system, the combination of which results in a unique type of movement that allows its heavy body to swim swiftly. The second precedent is a mechanical device—a tetrahedral kite— the properties of which I combined with my study of Mobula ray to create my flying machine. I used the trigonometric function movement of the tetrahedral kite, blending its airborne structure and joints with the properties of the organic structure to create the final kite prototype.
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R E N DE R I NG L IG H T: A Sing le Theate r w ith Two Charac ters S e m e s t e r
T h r e e
Course Coordinator C o n s t a n c e Va l e S t u d i o F a c u l t y, F a l l 2 0 1 7 Nathaniel Elberfeld Micah Stanek Jonathan Stitelman Lindsey Stouffer
L i g h t i s p hy s i c a l , b u t i t h a s n o m a s s ; g r a v i t y h a s b a r e l y a ny g r a s p o n i t . L i g h t h a s p r o v i d e d a major escape route f rom the hylomor phism that dominates so much of our thinking and perception, by limiting our consciousness of p hy s i c a l r e a l i t y t o t w o p r i n c i p l e s : f o r m a n d m a t t e r. — Robin Evans, "Mies van der Rohe's Paradoxical Symmetries," 1990 Light is the atmospheric veil through which the world is rendered visible. While light m a y i n f a c t b e m a t t e r, i t d o e s n o t h a v e m a s s , texture, or form and does not constitute space in and of itself. This studio undertakes the calibrated design of surfaces, mass, a n d v o l u m e a n d t h e m a n i p u l a t i o n o f c o l o r, texture, and material in their inextricable marriage to light. Rendering is the strateg y most implicated i n t h e d e p i c t i o n o f l i g h t . It s d e f i n i t i o n t i e s together representation, translation, and performance. Renderings depict through drawing or acting; they can be static or dynamic, can portray or transform. C onsidering these overlapping denotations, the studio undertakes the study of light through translations between rendered d r a w i n g s a n d s t a g e d m o d e l p h o t o g r a p h y. Beginning with a close reading of a precedent plan and photograph, the students translate the luminous effects of photographs into successive models of form and materials. The s econd phas e involves the mapping of a site in St. Louis through the production of a rendered site drawing. The studio culminates in a building proposal for a performance venue that requires a single theater with two characters: one that is based on natural lighting for daytime performances, and another one designed to be visible during evening performances. Through these dualistic identities, students consider light as a complex phenomenon a n d , u l t i m a t e l y, a s t h e m a i n m e d i a t o r o f program, form, and matter for this "Single T h e a t e r w i t h Tw o C h a r a c t e r s . "
Aaron Smolar Model: museum board Semester Three: Rendering Light (fall 2017) 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 26
Studio Faculty : C o n s t a n c e Va l e
Semester Three: Rendering Light
Fall 2017
Y UTONG MA
The precedent for my project is the plan of Adolf Loos's Villa MĂźller, which intrigued me with its right-angle turns that create interesting spatial interactions. I created extruded exterior and interior shells, both with several 90-degree staircase-like forms. This resulted in an interactive space that was created by the two surfaces folded in different orientations. The interior shell serves the main function of the theater, containing a stage and two hundred seats. The pochĂŠ space between the interior and exterior shell hosts the backstage, the box offices, and other secondary programs. The project's materiality highlights both translucency and opacity. Made of perforated paper, the exterior of the model was painted in blue and grey grids, representing sky-blue metal sheets attached to glass curtain walls that would reflect both the sky and the concrete interior. The grey museum boards in the model's interior are covered by curved panels of brown perforated paper, representing acoustical panels.
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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
Acr9212577732480-95285.pdf
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College of Architecture
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Studio Faculty : Jonathan Stitelman
Semester Three: Rendering Light
Fall 2017
R E BE C C A SHE N
My project emphasizes tilting and colliding planes that create a fragmented, geometric look. The resulting building design has a fluidity between the inner and outer skins, which act as two ribbons, folding and moving. These two ribbons are close together at certain points, while at other points they move away from each other. When the two skins are close, they combine to create a wall; when they are further apart, they create a poché—a space in between that can be turned into either a private room or stairs. The final theater design has thick walls and pockets of space within and around the grand volumes that make up the auditorium and lobby. The materials used for the final model complement this fluid ribbon effect. When vertical stripes alternate between translucent and opaque—with each stripe having a gradient from opacity to transparency—the surface on which those stripes are placed appears as if it is pleated. This has the effect of elongating the theater's appearance. The gradients that fade into transparency toward the top create the illusion from the interior that the building disappears into the air. The theater has drastically different characters between night and day. During the day, the shadows cast on the edges of the tilting planes create a geometric, splintered look. During the night, the building becomes connected again, with a clear contrast between the shadowed outer skins and the intensely glowing inner skins. The outer skins wrap and frame the strong inner glow.
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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 26
Studio Faculty : C o n s t a n c e Va l e
Semester Three: Rendering Light
Fall 2017
AARON SMOL A R
Through an initial precedent study for this project, I created an extruded three-dimensional model from the floor plan of Paul Rudolph's Edersheim Apartments in New York, which I studied through photographs and the behavior of light. An overexposed photo in which the interior volume appears washed out reminded me of James Turrell's work and its focus on the perception and materiality of light. I was also inspired by the reflection of the sky in the water court at the Pulitzer Arts Foundation in St. Louis, where the stones below the water are obscured by the reflection. I referenced these influences throughout the project, creating a dynamic theater form that allows users to peer up into the many light wells and experience their dramatic visual effects.
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{atmospheric} 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. Presented here is a selection of Option Studio projects that engage atmospheric issues.
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A N X IOU S EN V I RONME N T S: Effec t s and Af fec ts of Inten sive C are
Chandler Ahrens Spring 2017
The project for this studio uses dynamic and unstable environmental qualities to generate an organization, program, and form. Such an environment that is constantly in f lux destabilizes one of the key Vi t r u v i a n c o n c e p t s o f f i r m i t a s — f i r m n e s s , o r strength—in favor of responding to dynamic conditions. This unpredictability—coupled with Le Corbusier's modernist concept of architecture as a machine—creates a sense of anxiety toward our relationship to the environment. In addition, there is a broad range of environmental conditions that are often disregarded as a nuisance. These conditions are sometimes visible, while at other times they can only be detected by other senses. The goal of the studio is to develop a system capable of responding to such environmental variables. The studio is organized around three progressive, interconnected projects. The f irst project involves a cas e study of a building in terms of its specific effects and how they affect the way people perceive and o ccupy the space. The physiological perception of spatial effects includes, b u t i s n o t l i m i t e d t o, l i g h t i n t e n s i t y, l i g h t c o l o r, l i g h t d i r e c t i o n , l i g h t r e f l e c t i o n , a i r m o v e m e n t , a i r p r e s s u r e , a i r q u a l i t y, h e a t conduction, heat convection, radiation, h u m i d i t y, i o n i z a t i o n o f t h e a i r, p h e r o m o n e s , melatonin, and acoustics. The second project is to design a data center and spa on the Mississippi River—a heat pro ducer (data center) and a heat consumer (sauna and hot pools). Data centers generate an intensive interior climate in the form of the heat produced by the information technolog y that is in turn used in the spa to create its unique visual, tactile, audible, and olfactor y conditions. The third project focuses on the in-depth study of a particular aspect of the spa and data center building in order to develop a prototype that generates or enhances the building's environmental variables.
Charles Hart Digital drawing Option Studio: Anxious Environments (spring 2017) 36 37
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Studio Faculty : Chandler Ahrens
Option Studio: Anxious Env ironments
Spring 2017
C HAR L E S HA RT
The linkage of data center and spa explores the relationship of building geometry and the movement of heat through conductive currents. My project proposes a single vast and topographically varied spa volume that sits above the data center, the generator of heat. The spa contains different thermal conditions while maintaining its identity as one volume. As a general rule, higher elevations within the space are mapped to higher temperatures, although this is not always the case. Computer-simulated heat modeling drove many of the design decisions, and the final large-scale model—including metal data racks, a space heater situated underneath, a small fan to generate conduction, and a thermal camera—served as a physical test of the thermal properties of the space.
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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 26
Studio Faculty : Chandler Ahrens
Option Studio: Anxious Env ironments
Spring 2017
R E BE C C A R E SNIC
Based on my initial study of the thermodynamics of concrete, the transfer of heat through varying surface treatments became a key element in my design of the spa. Excess heat from the data center is used to heat spa amenities. The data center is located below the warmest program areas of the spa. Like a heat sink, deep slits between the rows of data racks that rise to the warmest areas of the spa maximize surface area and therefore the transfer of heat. The coldest program is located deep within the embankment, where it receives minimal sunlight and is farthest from the data racks. Openings along the roof correlate with the direction of the sun and the warmest areas of the spa. The building is arranged in a sloped procession, moving from a large communal pool toward quieter, more intimate spaces.
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DI S A PPEA R I NG G ROUN D
Gia Daskalakis Fall 2017
Circles proliferate in art—such as in t h e p a i n t i n g s o f Va s s i l y K a n d i n s k y, f o r example—as well as in nature: in a slice of bamboo or the underside of a sea urchin. Extrapolated as spheres, they populate the universe as planets and stars. Like all circles found in nature, sinkhole circles, part of the f o c u s o f t h i s s t u d i o, a r e i m p e r f e c t , c h a n g i n g , and temporal, slowly reconfiguring their boundaries through natural processes of erosion and sedimentation. T h e s i t e f o r t h i s s t u d i o i n Mo n r o e C o u n t y, Illinois, is replete with karst characteristics, including fissures, rolling surfaces, caves, underground drainage systems, springs, blind valleys, and fluted outcroppings, as well as sinkholes. Karst terrains have a ver y sp ecif ic hydrolog y and ass o ciated landforms formed from the porosity of soluble rock. Sinkhole plains are not only a b o u t s u r f a c e s p r e a d o u t h o r i z o n t a l l y, b u t also more critically about depth. The porous surface overlays a thick, complex, layered ground beneath, a highly differentiated infrastructural section concealed under the visible ground plane. Sinkholes offer a glimpse into the chambers of the deep space b e l o w. Fogelpole Cave runs for miles below the e a s t e r n e d g e o f t h e Mo n r o e C o u n t y s i n k h o l e p l a i n . Wa s h i n g t o n Un i v e r s i t y s p e l e o l o g i s t s A a r o n Ad d i s o n a n d B o b O s b u r n a n d scientists at the Illinois State Geological Sur vey are currently researching this branching drainage system. The program for this studio is a Speleolog y Logistics Camp to temporarily house scientists collecting data about the cave, the karst terrain, sinkholes, and wildlife in and around the cave. The landscape program extends to the larger sinkhole field to support education, experimentation, and data collection, including devices for measuring, scanning, and sur veying the sinkholes.
Ry a n Wu Digital drawing Option Studio: Disappearing Ground (fall 2017) 42 43
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 26
Studio Faculty : Gia Daskalakis
Option Studio: Disappearing Ground
Fall 2017
AMY ( QIN Y E ) CHEN
This project converts the dynamic changes of landscape over time into an experience that can be monitored by researchers and observed by visitors. Measuring poles document the change of the ground level through erosion. They are placed on a grid and connected with walking paths. In response to the various terrains, some paths are sunken below ground, while others float above it. The project also includes a visitor center, a researcher residence, and gardens. The indeterminacy of the landscape requires a design that acts as a scenario for the future. The mat-like configuration allows for this possibility, resulting in a project that is not a stand-alone monument, but a field that changes in accordance with its porous site.
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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 26
Option Studio: Disappearing Ground
Studio Faculty : Gia Daskalakis
Fall 2017
RYAN WU
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Located in a karst landscape formed by the dissolution of limestone, the site of this project is characterized by sinkholes, where the ground surface collapses. Due to rainwater erosion, these sinkholes expand over time, gradually transforming the existing topography. This project—a Geological Museum—seeks to interact with the complex karst landscape without interfering with the patterns of erosion and the expansion of sinkholes over time. Near the edge of sinkholes, soil becomes thinner, and the limestone beneath is closer to the ground surface. The Geological Museum features a cut into the rim of a sinkhole, exposing the limestone strata below. The rock layer is by itself a visualization of the region's geological history, visually and spatially augmenting the main program of the building.
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1. Entrance 2. Receptio n 3. Mec hanical 4. Restro o m 5. Sto rage 6. Exhibitio n Space 7. Audito rium 8. Observatio n Dec k
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DI SE G NO : Encounte rs in Public Space F l o r e n c e ,
I t a l y
Course Coordinator Igor Mar janović Studio Faculty Elisa Kim, Summer 2016, 2017 A l e x a n d r a Wa l l e r, S u m m e r 2 0 1 8
The summer study abroad program in F l o r e n c e , It a l y, b u i l d s u p o n t h e t r a d i t i o n o f d i s e g n o — t h e m e d i e v a l It a l i a n w o r d for draw ing and one of the origins of the term design, denoting both mark-making a n d c r i t i c a l i n q u i r y. R e f e r e n c i n g t h i s d u a l t r a j e c t o r y, t h e c o u r s e e n g a g e s a s e r i e s o f site-specific projects that explore public space as a visual as well as conceptual phenomenon—a contested space that is constantly being drawn, redrawn, and ultimately (re)designed. W h i l e It a l i a n p u b l i c s p a c e s h a v e a long histor y of social interaction and engagement, this studio focuses on their c o n t e m p o r a r y s o c i a l d y n a m i c . Us i n g t h e ongoing immigrant and refugee crisis as its primar y context, the studio challenges the students to envision ne w public spaces where "locals" and "foreigners" can come together—a tr ue space of s o cial encounter that is open and welcoming to all. Over the course of the last decade the studio projects have engaged a range of sites and programs—from the streets and piazzas of F l o r e n c e t o t h e v a s t b l u e Me d i t e r r a n e a n S ea—mapping the dangerous passage of refugees across the water and their arrival on land. The resulting prop osals envision new public spaces that preser ve the memor y of that journey and honor immigrant cultures. Sited as imaginar y islands at s e a o r i n t h e c i t y, t h e s e p r o p o s a l s i n c l u d e shelters for immigrant women and children, memorials, historical archives, and various public amenities.
L e i l e i Wu Pencil and ink drawing on vellum Option Studio: Disegno (summer 2016)
Imbued with the names and stories of real people, the projects propose imaginar y urban scenarios through a combination of image and text. Each proposal acts as a refuge from the current political tempest of displacement, and while these designs do not necessarily provide a blueprint for a political solution, they do act as powerful rhetorical devices that bring core social issues to the forefront of architectural discourse. 48 49
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 26
Studio Faculty : Igor Mar janov ić A l e x a n d r a Wa l l e r
Option Studio: Disegno
Summer 2018
WE NTAO G U O & R E BE C C A SH E N Oasis
The power of water is immeasurable. Those who survive the treacherous journey across the Mediterranean Sea are often traumatized physically, mentally, or both. Even in asylum cities, scarring memories associated with water can be omnipresent. Florence itself, for example, historically has experienced catastrophic floods that have shaped its landscape and even culture. But at the highest point in Florence an oasis awaits. This is a place of safety, regeneration, and play. Refugees and people of all origins are welcome—no government-issued IDs are needed, as the space is free and open to all. A canopy rising monumentally above the old city wall draws visitors into the safe haven underneath it. A pool of water glistens under the sunlight that envelopes this space when the shutters of the canopy are open. During times of rain, the canopy's shutters are closed, allowing rainwater to trickle down the curves of the enclosure into a water filtration and storage system, reducing rainwater erosion and generating a source of purified water that supplies the community, including the swimming pool and drinking water for the cafÊ and locker rooms. Water, with its allencompassing transience, is the main feature of the project. Those who bathe and play in it under the light- and water-filtering canopy can, at least for a moment, let the haunting memories of their journeys wash away.
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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 26
Studio Faculty : Igor Mar janov ić Elisa Kim
Option Studio: Disegno
Summer 2017
HAEY (XIY ING ) MA Immersion
Crossing the Mediterranean Sea for hundreds of miles, refugees have perceived water as a symbol for death. By providing bathing and resting spaces for refugees, this island aims to mitigate their traumatic memories of water and transform it into a medium of healing. The mapping traces the flow of refugee migration paths across continents and the Mediterranean Sea, focusing on the contrast between the small scale of the human body and the vastness of the sea. The study of Le Corbusier's unbuilt Venice Hospital was an inspiration for my project. This structure focuses on how natural light interacts with living space; it does not have traditional windows, only skylights that let the light in during sunrise and sunset. Standing partly over water with piers, the building also catches natural light reflected from the water's surface as boats pass by. Through my study of the ways in which the building catches both light from the sky and the reflection from the water, I created drawings that explore atmospheric qualities of the sea and the sky, visually blurring the horizon line between the two. Situated between the sea and the sky, this imaginary island extends from the Venice Hospital—as if it was built at some point—and is mostly submerged in the sea. A misting system weaves through the building, spraying mist and filling the bathing pools, providing a choice of bathing and healing environments that are hot, steamy, or cool. The roof is gently curved to allow people to get closer to the water's edge, where they can get their feet wet as the sea level rises.
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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
Approach 26
Studio Faculty : Igor Mar janov ić Elisa Kim
Option Studio: Disegno
Summer 2016
GE ORG E Z HANG The Memory Archive
This is a story of a memory archive and a historian's journey as a refugee across the sea. As an aspiring nineteen-year-old historian, Rajeed learned about events and stories of others, and he hoped that one day he could contribute to the collection of history found in textbooks. In fact, within just a few years, he did become part of history. Due to instabilities and complications in his part of the world, Rajeed and his family had to leave their homeland, crossing the Mediterranean Sea in search of refuge. Those months en route were life-altering for Rajeed— conditions were rough, travel was dangerous, people came and went…. Upon arriving in Europe, Rajeed had a completely different life trajectory, and he worked day and night in order to continue his educational pursuit as a historian. Years went by and he finished school. His memories were still deep within his mind, but few of his peers in this new land knew of these moments in his life. It was then that Rajeed saw the value in recounting these indelible parts of his life and understood the very meaning of his dream to become a historian—that if these stories and memories were not chronicled and recounted, they could easily be lost. It is now 2046. Thirty years later, as an established contemporary historian, Rajeed has been invited to help create a "memory archive" for the memories of refugees from all backgrounds and origins along the Tuscan coastline of Italy. Both personal and collective, these otherwise unspoken and forgotten—yet highly valuable and meaning ful—memories will now be harnessed so they can resonate with the former refugee community and beyond. This will be a place where people will feel comfortable bringing their memories to be recorded, shared, and echoed. Envisioned as an exchange node with inputs and outputs, the Memory Archive will record both digital and physical artifacts and recollections and share them through satellites and optic fibers as well as theatrical experiences and physical display.
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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 prominent guests 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. Past speakers include Jean-Louis Cohen, Beatriz Colomina, Dennis Crompton, Peter Eisenman, Kenneth Frampton, K. Michael Hays, Andres Hernandez, Sharon Johnston, Kengo Kuma, Daniel Libeskind, Thom Mayne, Jesse Reiser and Nanako Umemoto, Saskia Sassen, Nasrine Seraji, Wang Shu, Bernard Tschumi, Stanislaus von Moos, and Amanda Williams, as well as Bijoy Jain, Mary McLeod, and Ian Monroe, whose visits are reviewed here. Often these events are linked to the curatorial program of the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum. Recent related exhibitions at the Museum include Tomรกs Saraceno: CloudSpecific (2011), To See Without Being Seen: Contemporary Art and Drone Warfare (2016), and Kader Attia: Reason's Oxymorons (2017), as well as such architectural exhibitions as Metabolic City (2009), On the Thresholds of Space-Making: Shinohara Kazuo and His Legacy (2014), Drawing Ambience: Alvin Boyarsky and the Architectural Association (2014), and Transformative Visions: Washington University's East End, Then and Now (2018). 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.
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Wor k shop Re v i e w Linda (Jiachen) Deng Bachelor of Science in Architecture, 2018 Studio project by Linda (Jiachen) Deng. June 2017. A s a n a r c h i t e c t u r e m a j o r a n d a r t m i n o r, I was extremely excited about participating in the 2017 Florence summer program p r i n t m a k i n g w o r k s h o p, w h i c h I s a w a s a unique opportunity to bridge art, culture, and architecture. Starting a design project with a printmaking workshop was also a unique way to approach an architectural problem. Instead of focusing on what I thought I wanted, the printmaking workshop allowed me to l e t g o a n d t h i n k m o r e i n t u i t i v e l y, m o r e i n d i r e c t l y, a b o u t d e s i g n . T h e p r i n t m a k i n g w o r k s h o p, h e l d i n t h e first week of the program, was led by D e a n C a r m o n C o l a n g e l o a n d C h a i r Ig o r Marjanović, who opened up the session w i t h a l i v e l y d e m o n s t r a t i o n . It w a s a wonderful experience to work with them, and it was also great to get to know my classmates through such intens e studio work—it was a cheerful group of architecture, art, and design students gathered in a spacious studio located in a historic district. E ach of us brought found materials to the workshop—a magazine page, a strip of fabric, a piece of a leaf—all of which came from various
n e i g h b o r h o o d s i n t h e c i t y. H a v i n g j u s t arrived in Florence fresh and curious, it was exciting to "feel" the textures and colors of the city through collected objec ts and to alter them using waterbased inks and polysynthetic plates. The process of monotype printing is also ver y r e f l e c t i v e i n n a t u r e . T h i n k i n g a d d i t i v e l y, we applied colors, marks, and collages onto the plate and then ran it through a printing press in order to create hy brid forms of representation. Florence was a spectacular source of i n s p i r a t i o n — t h e s k y, t h e w a t e r, t h e people, and even the cobblestone tiles. It w a s a m a z i n g t o s e e h o w m y f r i e n d s conve yed their feelings ab out the site through prints. Diffusing turquoise ink with gentle brushstrokes produced a marble texture that looks like a layer o f s u n s h i n e o n t h e s t o n e . My p r i n t s also included lines of text on top of a gentle palette of muted pink and yellow reminiscent of the Arno River at dusk. Through printmaking we channeled our obser vations about the site in a ver y p e r s o n a l w a y. Approach 26
Review
Printmaking in Florence, Italy
Tr a n s f e r r i n g t h e v i s u a l a n d c o n c e p t u a l qualities of prints into architecture was a magical step in the design process. Our first studio assignment was to map r e f u g e e p a t h s a c r o s s t h e Me d i t e r r a n e a n S e a . It w a s a n i n c r e d i b l e e x p e r i m e n t t o integrate the conceptual and graphic qualities of our prints into sociopolitical research. The blue ink that I used intuitively in my prints b ecame the s ea in m y m a p. F u r t h e r m o r e , t h e d e l i c a t e t o n e s of the prints allowed me to explore the water surface, and in its various shades and tones I started to see potential architectural shapes. Printmaking is an interesting medium that works indirectly and contrar y to typical architectural representation. The process of making a print requires extracting the "shadows" of the ink by working with an imprint from a plate, rather than directly building a drawing from the ink.
not only extremely inspiring but also a communal studio experience full of joyful camaraderie.
A s e c o n d p r i n t m a k i n g w o r k s h o p, h e l d m i d - s e m e s t e r, u n f o l d e d a s a n i n t e g r a l part of our architecture studio project. It o f f e r e d a n e x c i t i n g o p p o r t u n i t y t o combine prints with architectural plans and sections in order to imagine new s p a c e s f o r i m m i g r a n t s . We w o r k e d w i t h ink and color to modify and extend found plans, sections, and elevations, creating i m a g i n a r y s p a c e s f i l l e d w i t h c o l o r. We layered architectural drawings, textures, and photographs, creating ambient and negative spaces that ultimately conve yed the atmosphere of a new public space for locals and immigrants. The process was
Summer 2017
The studio culture in Florence was as cheerful and collaborative as it always h a s b e e n a t Wa s h i n g t o n Un i v e r s i t y. T h e incredible opportunity to study abroad with talented friends and amazing faculty—who were always there for us, listening to our questions and helping us navigate the creative process—in a city of rich histor y was beyond description. Mo s t i m p o r t a n t l y, i t p r o v i d e d t h e p e r f e c t platform for me to integrate art, culture, and architecture into socially aware design.
Dean Carmon Colangelo reveals a print during the printmaking workshop, Florence, Italy, June 2017. Photo by Igor Marjanović.
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PRINTMAKING IN F L O R E N C E , I TA LY All Washington University students who study abroad in Florence have the opportunity to participate in a printmaking workshop. A staple of every orientation week, this event allows students to begin to experience the city through hands-on studio work. Carmon Colangelo, an artist and Ralph J. Nagel Dean of the Sam Fox School, leads the workshop in collaboration with Igor Marjanović, a designer, historian, and chair of the undergraduate architecture program. The workshop presents printmaking as an interdisciplinary visual language that spans art, architecture, and design, and brings together students and faculty from all disciplines within the School.
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Teaching G al l e r y R e v i e w Jillian Katz Bachelor of Science in Architecture, 2019 Hannah Wilke (American, 1940–1993), still from Gestures, 1974. Black-and-white video with sound, 35:30 min. Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, Washington University in St. Louis. University purchase, Bixby Fund, 2016. Š Marsie, Emanuelle, Damon, and Andrew Scharlatt, Hannah Wilke Collection and Archive, Los Angeles. Image courtesy of Electronic Arts Intermix (EAI), New York.
T h e Te a c h i n g G a l l e r y e x h i b i t i o n 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 i n f a l l 2 0 1 7 , R e f r a m i n g Fe m i n i s m : Vi s u a l i z i n g Wo m e n , G e n d e r, a n d S e x u a l i t y , d i s p l a y e d works by a diverse collection of artists, male and female, engaging with the feminist movement and feminist philosophies. The galler y explored how art can further push a feminist agenda by visual means, exposing it also to a wider audience. The selection featured art from the 1960s to the 1990s, with a focus on t h r e e m a j o r a r e a s : b o d i e s , s e x u a l i t y, a n d i n t e r s e c t i o n a l i t y. T h e e x h i b i t i o n i n c l u d e d many works that illustrate how s o ciety has corrupted the relationship between w o m e n ' s b o d i e s a n d t h e i r s e x u a l i t y, empowering the viewer to take notice and fight against these ideas. Another large part of the exhibition demonstrated how the feminist movement has intertwined with issues of gender identity and sexuality as well as issues of race. The exhibition as a whole looked at a broad range of topics within the categor y of
feminism with diverse and expansive r e s p o n s e s f r o m t h e a r t c o m m u n i t y. T h e topics tackled by this small installation were incredibly complex and important to understand, but that is one aspect that made it a successful teaching space. Since each artwork addresses different facets of feminism, viewers had the opportunity to consider anew specific subjects they are passionate about while also becoming aware of other artistic approaches. The pieces in the galler y that connect to society's relationship to the female body open up discussion of ver y important issues that are still prevalent, such as the male gaze, objectification, and commodification. One artwork I found particularly interesting relating to this s u b j e c t w a s Me l R a m o s ' s C a n d y ( 1 9 6 8 ) . The work presents an image of a Baby Ruth candy bar wrapper next to a figure of a nude woman along with instructions on how to wrap the nude woman in the c a n d y w r a p p e r. T h i s Po p a r t p i e c e q u i t e Approach 26
Review
R e f r a m i n g F e m i n i s m : Vi s u a l i z i n g Wo m e n , G e n d e r, a n d S e x u a l i t y
literally shows the female form being used through corporate advertising as a p r o d u c t n o t d i s s i m i l a r t o a c a n d y b a r. The female body throughout time has been used in media to sell products so much so that it has become like the p r o d u c t i t s e l f . Ju x t a p o s i n g a w o m a n a n d a candy bar is a simple and elegant way of encouraging the viewer to consider the many insinuations that the ar tist makes.
values and methodologies—a concept that is not often explored in art and art h i s t o r y, w h i c h t e n d t o a d d r e s s i n d i v i d u a l movements rather than look at overlaps o v e r t i m e . It w a s t h u s r e f r e s h i n g t o s e e how the exhibition reframed feminism from such a multilayered perspective, pulling together various ideas, struggles, and artistic approaches.
At f i r s t I f o u n d i t o d d t h a t t h e g a l l e r y also included artwork about racial inequality and LGBTQ struggles, combining perhaps too arbitrarily several different movements related to social justice. But then I read the exhibition description more closely and I learned that LGBTQ issues became intertwined with the feminist movement when activists were discussing sexuality after the growth of the AIDS epidemic. The brochure further clarified that issues of race became a priority in feminist debates in the late 1970s and early 1980s, suggesting that no single event is self-contained and that the intertwining of diverse social movements is critical t o o u r u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f h i s t o r y. Marginalized groups fighting for equality inf luenced and shaped each other's
Fall 2017
Left: Mel Ramos (American, b. 1935), Candy, from S.M.S. No. 5, 1968. Offset photolithograph, 10 7/8 x 13 7/8" . Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, Washington University in St. Louis. University purchase, 1990. Right: Jeanne Dunning (American, b. 1960), Study for The Extra Nipple, 1994. Cibachrome, 20 3/4 x 15 1/4" (framed). Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, Washington University in St. Louis. Gift of Peter Norton, 2015.
S epte mbe r 8 , 2 0 1 7 – Januar y 8 , 2 0 1 8
REFRAMING FEMINISM: V I SUA L I Z I N G WO M E N , G E N D E R , A N D S E X UA L I T Y The Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum is among the leading university art museums in the country and is an integral part of the Sam Fox School. Its rich program of exhibitions complements the educational endeavors of the College of Architecture. In addition to special exhibitions and displays of the permanent collection, the Kemper Art Museum includes a Teaching Gallery that enables faculty to integrate the study of works from the Museum's collection into undergraduate and graduate curricula. In the fall of 2017, the Museum presented Reframing Feminism: Visualizing Women, Gender, and Sexuality, curated by Trevor Joy Sangrey, lecturer in the Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and assistant dean in the College of Arts & Sciences.
66 67
E x hibiti on R e v i e w A m y ( Q i n Ye ) C h e n Bachelor of Science in Architecture, 2018
This page and opposite: Kader Attia (French, b. 1970), Reason's Oxymorons, 2015. Installation of cubicles and 18 films, durations variable, 13 to 25 min. Courtesy of the artist and Lehmann Maupin, New York and Hong Kong. Photo by Max Yawney.
W h i l e i n We s t e r n s o c i e t y t h e r e i s a pre valent b elief that physical and psychological wounds can be repaired, whether through plastic surger y or m e d i c a t i o n , n o n - We s t e r n s o c i e t i e s tend to accept and incorporate such imperfections. Reason's Oxy morons, an installation of cubicles and 18 films ranging from approximately 12 to 25 minutes long by the French-Algerian a r t i s t K a d e r At t i a , e x a m i n e s a v a r i e t y o f perspectives on repair and the different approaches to trauma practiced within We s t e r n a n d n o n - We s t e r n s o c i e t i e s . Eighteen television monitors, each s h o w i n g i n t e r v i e w s t h a t At t i a h a d w i t h psychologists, healers, ethnographers, and historians, under such headings as " T h e Un c o n s c i o u s , " " E x i l e , " a n d " A r t a s T h e r a p y, " a r e a r r a n g e d w i t h i n a l a b y r i n t h of generic office partitions, creating an atmosphere of discomfort reminiscent of trauma. Roaming through the maze-like s etting, par ticipants are invited to sit
in f ront of any s creen and b e immers ed in the distinct perspective presented in each film. Some of the monitors are complemented by headphones, others are equipped with loudspeakers—allowing participants to simultaneously hear voices from other cubicles and further evoking a bureaucratic ambience. While participants feel monitored and subdued in such an environment, the y are als o given the freedom to choose which cubicles to sit in and what information t o a b s o r b. At t i a ' s i n t e r e s t i n s t u d y i n g t h e h a n d l i n g of trauma and injuries and other d i c h o t o m i e s b e t w e e n We s t e r n a n d n o n - We s t e r n c u l t u r e s p e r h a p s s t e m s from his upbringing in both Algeria, a f o r m e r F r e n c h c o l o n y, a n d s u b u r b a n P a r i s . T h e m e s s u c h a s r e p a i r, t r a u m a , and healing as part of the effects of increasing cross-cultural communication and assimilation have been essential t o At t i a ' s r i g o r o u s r e s e a r c h - b a s e d Approach 26
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Kad e r At ti a : Reason's Oxymorons
p r a c t i c e f o r m a n y y e a r s . Wi t h R e a s o n ' s O x y m o r o n s , At t i a a t t e m p t s t o r e v e a l t h e complexities of the human condition within the context of different, often opposing worldviews.
c u l t u r e s t o i n c r e a s e r a p i d l y, t h i s installation openly addresses the difficulties of cultural assimilation. Especially with a large population of n o n - We s t e r n r e f u g e e s r e l o c a t i n g i n We s t e r n c o m m u n i t i e s , t h e p s y c h o l o g i c a l issues that they need to deal with are often a major concern. Reason's Oxy morons makes visible these internal wounds.
E ach of the films presented in Reason's Oxy morons is comprised of a fragmented, carefully edited collection of conversations ab out a concept that is understood differently around the globe. In one of the films, under the title " E x i l e , " At t i a d i s c u s s e s w i t h t h e F r e n c h psychologist Christine ThĂŠodore and the assistant psychiatrist Madjid B elaid r e a s o n s f o r p e o p l e t o m i g r a t e t o We s t e r n countries. While many might think that p e o p l e r e l o c a t e t o s e e k s h e l t e r, s e c u r i t y, and food, there are more complex ethical issues and psychopathological problems that people are tr ying to resolve through exile and are struggling with after exile. This "video librar y" makes visible the var ying ways these complex matters of the mind are defined in differing c u l t u r e s . It p r o v i d e s c r u c i a l i n s i g h t i n t o the effects of past colonizations and the increasingly fast-paced merging of disparate societies.
Fall 2017
The themes explored in the installation a r e p a r t i c u l a r l y r e l e v a n t t o d a y. I n this age where technologies have become a connective tissue, allowing communication between disparate
S epte mbe r 8 , 2 0 1 7 – Januar y 8 , 2 0 1 8
K A D E R AT T I A : R E AS ON ' S OXYMORON S In the fall of 2017, the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum presented Kader Attia: Reason's Oxymorons, a room-size installation of eighteen office cubicles, each with a monitor displaying videos that explore a variety of perspectives on the notion of repair.
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C har re tte Re v i e w J o h n A d r i a n A n a k C h r i s t o p h e r , S e b a s t i a n B e r n a l , We n t a o G u o Bachelor of Science in Architecture, 2020 candidates
"Venality," a proposal for a vending machine that provides passports on demand, by John Adrian Anak Christopher, Sebastian Bernal, and Wentao Guo, 2018 Laskey Charrette winners. Photo by team members.
When challenged by the 2018 Laskey Charrette to imagine a new global network, our team discussed issues relating to energ y f lows, mass t r a n s p o r t a t i o n , v i r t u a l r e a l i t y, a n d immigration, among others. After c o n s u l t i n g w i t h I a n Mo n r o e , t h e c h a r r e t t e m o d e r a t o r, a n d p o l l i n g o u r c l a s s m a t e s , we decided to focus on immigration, an increasingly important topic in today's world. Immigration is made ver y difficult because of tough laws and widespread discrimination, forcing people to find a w a y i n t o t h e i r d e s t i n a t i o n i l l e g a l l y. S a d l y, m a n y p e o p l e d i e o n t h i s j o u r n e y. We d e s i g n e d a c o m p a n y t h a t c o n s i s t s o f a simple vending machine, a website, a n d a n o p e n n e t w o r k , c a l l e d Ve n a l i t y. Ve n a l i t y i s d e d i c a t e d t o c o m b a t i n g existing immigration laws by producing forged documents and selling them through vending machines worldwide. Each machine has the ability to provide passports, birth certificates, and other
necessar y identification documents. The machines are easily operated and t h e d o c u m e n t s a r e a f f o r d a b l e . Ve n a l i t y prides itself on facilitating immigration and fulfilling the dreams of thousands of i m m i g r a n t s . It e v e n p r o v i d e s c u s t o m e r s with special deals and discounts, including the American "Freedom Package" that comes with a driver's license, a passport, and an identification d o c u m e n t . We o f f e r s i m i l a r p a c k a g e s f o r France and G ermany and other countries. The prices var y by location, depending on the desirability of a particular destination for prospective immigrants as determined by data provided by the Un i t e d Na t i o n s . Customers can access our vending machines in public restrooms, gas stations, and barbershops around the world, especially in countries with high r a t e s o f e m i g r a t i o n , s u c h a s Me x i c o, Russia, and Syria. Our customers can find easy-to-use instructions on our Approach 26
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Laskey Charrette
Ve n a l i t y c o n s p i r a c y w e b s i t e , w h i c h i s designed to look and feel completely anonymous, like the "dark" web of underground operations. By typing in their coordinates, customers can locate the nearest vending machine. They can go there to have their headshot taken and then, with the press of a button and a few bills inserted into the machine ( s o r r y, c a s h o n l y ; w e d o n o t a c c e p t c r e d i t or debit cards), they can choose their destination and collect their documents on the spot.
process of using our first machine, one librarian found it surprising that some of the countries are still listed as desirable lo cations. Our fellow students—many of whom come from various countries around the world—were interested in this approach to immigration. They related to its satiric and humorous nature, which we too saw as a political and social commentar y on the global migrant crisis—its risks and dangers, and the audacity of governments and individuals to profit from the unfortunate and desperate.
Ve n a l i t y i s a l s o c o m m i t t e d t o h e l p i n g the public realize the problems of i m m i g r a t i o n . T h e f i r s t Ve n a l i t y m a c h i n e was installed on the lower level of the 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 building of the Sam Fox S chool, outside t h e e n t r a n c e t o t h e K e n n e t h a n d Na n c y K r a n z b e r g A r t & A r c h i t e c t u r e L i b r a r y. It w a s d e s i g n e d a s a n a t t a c h m e n t t h a t can be easily installed and removed from e x i s t i n g m a c h i n e s . It c o n s i s t s o f a c o n t r o l column with an iPad tablet and a camera interface, as well as a clear acr ylic sheet that holds copies of passports, birth certificates, driver's licenses, worker's permits, and social security cards from the different countries that users can choose. This attachment covers the whole glass panel of the vending machine with an easy slip-on system—concealing the soda and candy bars behind it. In the
Spring 2018
Members of the College of Architecture second-year class attend the presentation by the winning team for the 2018 Laskey Charrette with Professor Emeritus Leslie J. Laskey in attendance (front left). Photo by Whitney Curtis.
Januar y 2 6 –2 8 , 2 0 1 8
LASKEY CHARRETTE: T H E WORL D NEED S A N EW N ET WOR K 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, second-year architecture students work in teams to brainstorm ideas for a given challenge. The best designs are given scholarship awards. The charrette is presented annually by Studio L in collaboration with the College of Architecture. Past moderators were Kyna Leski of Rhode Island School of Design (2012), Mehrdad Hadighi of Pennsylvania State University (2013), Ted Krueger of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (2014), the artists Laura Brown and Washington University alumnus Rick Brown of Massachusetts College of Art and Design (2015), Erik Hemingway of University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2016), and Elizabeth O'Donnell of Cooper Union (2017). The 2018 moderator was the London-based artist and Washington University alumnus Ian Monroe.
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L ec ture Re v i e w Francisco Coch Bachelor of Science in Architecture, 2020 candidate Bijoy Jain during the "Lore" lecture at Washington University, September 2017. Photo by Francisco Coch.
Lore: n. A body of traditions and knowledge on a s u b j e c t o r h e l d b y a p a r t i c u l a r g r o u p, ty pically passed from person to person by word of mouth n. The space between the eye and the base of the bill of a bird or between the eye and nostril of a snake Lore carries tacit knowledge through past, present and future—answers to each time l i e i n i t s a p p r o p r i a t i o n . Mo s t i m p o r t a n t l y, it is intuitive and rational, subjective and objective at the same time—essential to both sur v ival and nour ishment of mankind. — B i j o y Ja i n , F i r s t S t o n e ( P r i m e i r a P e d r a ) 1
The notion of lore, the central theme o f B i j o y Ja i n ' s l e c t u r e a t t h e S a m F o x School in the fall of 2017, deals with what has been lost over time and how we as architects preser ve building knowledge b y w o r k i n g w i t h m a t e r i a l s d i r e c t l y. I w a s v e r y p l e a s e d t o a t t e n d Ja i n ' s l e c t u r e , since I had been familiar with his work f o r a b o u t a y e a r. L a s t s u m m e r I w o r k e d at a Middle E astern restaurant in Chapel H i l l , No r t h C a r o l i n a , a n d e v e r y d a y I passed a used bookstore. One day while scanning its shelves I found a stack of architecture books; among them was a small collection of inter views titled S t a r t i n g f r o m " I D o n ' t Kn o w " : In t e r v i e w s o n Ar c h i t e c t u r e & C r a f t ( 2 0 1 5 ) , s p e a k i n g to the beauty of working with one's hands and the affection for craft.2 The book documents a weeklong workshop in S w i t z e r l a n d l e d b y Ja i n o f S t u d i o Mu m b a i and the processes taught and discussed by the small group of architects, carpenters, professors, and artists who took part. A g r a d u a t e o f Wa s h i n g t o n Un i v e r s i t y, Ja i n leads a practice described as "a human Approach 26
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Bijoy Jain
infrastructure of skilled craftsmen and architects who design and build the work d i r e c t l y. " 3
a n d f u t u r e p r a c t i c e s i n d e s i g n . It i s n o t just ab out reacting to our environment, b u t u n d e r s t a n d i n g i t m o r e i n t e n t l y.
D u r i n g h i s l e c t u r e Ja i n s h o w e d u s a n image of a man in R ajasthan whose wife had sewn a pocket into his shirt so he could store his possessions when e x c h a n g i n g m o n e y. Ja i n e x p l a i n e d t h a t this was an example of an open approach to design, where a given element was intentionally changed (what is meant to be open by design is now closed in o r d e r t o s e r v e a d i f f e r e n t p u r p o s e ) . Ja i n ' s studio focuses on a careful consideration of place and an intentional relationship between architecture and the land around it through the means of local resources. In ess ence, it is a philos ophy of craft as it relates to architecture and how we interact with our environment to meet our needs.
Architecture, then, shouldn't be considered merely as a practice in aesthetics or as an increasingly esoteric f i e l d . It e x t e n d s t o t h e c o n d i t i o n s of ever yday living, from dr ying our clothes to parking our cars, and to how a n d w h a t w e e a t . T h e q u e s t i o n n o w, a s developers are shaping our landscape, is how does our society allow for the individual to have a s ay? How do you bring architecture into this process, and to what extent should we have a say as a r c h i t e c t s ? A s Ja i n e x p l a i n e d , " w e a l s o need to understand this ebb and flow of how work occurs, and it is hard.‌ [ It ] e i t h e r f a i l s o r i t h a s s h i f t e d , b u t w e t r y t o k e e p i t g o i n g i n t h i s w a y. T h a t i s basically how our practice is, ver y fluid, without a specific direction."5
I n Ja i n ' s l e c t u r e h e d i s c u s s e d g e s t u r e s , communication, and how ideas are manifest in the knowledge of craft and a holistic approach to architecture and o u r l o c a l e n v i r o n m e n t s . He a l s o t a l k e d about describing architecture through the metaphor of language to evoke a common b u t i m p o r t a n t i d e a o f t h e v e r n a c u l a r. F o r e x a m p l e , i n Ja p a n e s e c a r p e n t r y a g r e a t deal of knowledge has been preser ved through craft and material, such as wooden building components that are cut according to the wood grain and assembled in a way that maximizes their s t r e n g t h a n d l o n g e v i t y. D i s c u s s i n g t h e s e traditional crafts in an inter view with B a l k r i s h n a D o s h i , Ja i n e x p l a i n e d : " T h e ability to make those things still exists, but what is needed is to instill this idea of connection to what is being made, and why it is b eing made."4
1
Fall 2017
Bijoy Jain, "Lore," concept phase for First Stone,
Studio Mumbai, 2016, www.primeirapedra.com/en /projects/lore/. 2
Samuel P. Smith, Starting from "I Don't Know":
Interviews on Architecture & Craft (Chicago: Soberscove Press, 2015). 3
Jain, "Biography," in Studio Mumbai, 2003–2011, El
Croquis 157 (2011): 4. 4
Jain, "Excerpts from an Ongoing Dialogue: A
Conversation between Dr. Balkrishna V. Doshi and Bijoy Jain," in ibid., 9. 5
Ibid., 17.
The fluency in building with our hands, and much of the philos ophy taught at Wa s h i n g t o n Un i v e r s i t y, e x p l o r e s h o w t h i s pertains to the question of sustainability
S epte mbe r 1 8 , 2 0 1 7
B I JOY JA I N "LORE" 72 73
L ec ture Re v i e w Ruth Blair Moyers Bachelor of Science in Architecture, 2018 Le Corbusier's seaside cabin (Le Cabanon), CÔte d'Azur, France. Photo by Tim Benton.
It f e l t v e r y s p e c i a l t o a t t e n d M a r y Mc L e o d ' s l e c t u r e o n S e p t e m b e r 2 7 , 2 0 1 7 , in part because she is one of the few architectural historians to study the all-too-often forgotten female players in the histor y of architecture. Some of that work has been included in such a n t h o l o g i e s a s T h e S e x o f Ar c h i t e c t u r e ( Ab r a m s , 1 9 9 6 ) , Ar c h i t e c t u r e o f t h e Ev e r y d a y ( P r i n c e t o n A r c h i t e c t u r a l P r e s s , 1 9 9 7 ) , a n d Ar c h i t e c t u r e a n d Fe m i n i s m ( Ya l e Un i v e r s i t y P r e s s , 1 9 9 7 ) . S h e i s w e l l known for her writings on the female French architect and designer Charlotte Pe r r i a n d , w h o w o r k e d w i t h t h e r e n o w n e d Swiss-born architect Le Corbusier for about a decade, from 1927 to 1937. Mc L e o d w a s a l s o a p a r t i c i p a n t i n t h e 2 0 1 4 s y m p o s i u m " Wo m e n i n A r c h i t e c t u r e 1 9 7 4 | 2 0 1 4 " a t Wa s h i n g t o n Un i v e r s i t y in St. Louis. While being an advocate for women in architecture and allied fields, she is also one of the leading experts on L e C o r b u s i e r.
I n t e r e s t i n g l y, i n t h i s l e c t u r e , w h i c h f e a t u r e d h e r s t u d i e s o f L e C o r b u s i e r, Mc L e o d d i d n o t l i n g e r o n h i m a s t h e powerful force of modern architecture that we often learn about in histor y courses, but rather discussed him as a pragmatic architect seeking simple s olutions that could aid the ailing wart o r n c o u n t r y o f F r a n c e . He r l e c t u r e addressed what she called the "microhistor y" of two of Le Corbusier's projects, the Maison Dom-Ino (1914) and Maisons Mu r o n d i n s ( 1 9 4 0 ) , b o t h a t t e m p t s a t refugee or wartime housing that worked around the lack of available materials d u r i n g t h e w a r. At t h e i r c o r e , n e i t h e r of these projects was intended to make waves, but rather just to find practical solutions to a pressing problem. For his Maison Dom-Ino project Le Corbusier drew for one of the first times from the Ta y l o r i s t i d e a o f s t a n d a r d i z a t i o n . H e created an architecture "stripped bare" into its most basic elements—concrete slabs, columns, and stairs. The exterior Approach 26
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Mar y McLeod
was absent in his design; it was meant to be derived from the vernacular style, leaving room for personalization by each c o m m u n i t y. B y l e a v i n g t h e e x t e r i o r — the stylistically defining element— undesigned, Le Corbusier did not assert his personal aesthetics. This lack of selfassertion is even more compelling in the M a i s o n s Mu r o n d i n s , w h i c h w e r e h o u s e s and buildings for makeshift villages that were intended to be built relying entirely on vernacular construction techniques and materials. In his plans for the M a i s o n s , Mc L e o d a r g u e d , L e C o r b u s i e r rejected all attempts at revolutionizing or modernizing architecture. His goal was merely to create a less morose alternative t o m i l i t a r y b a r r a c k s . He a l s o h a d a n interest in employing local craftsmen and youth in order to promote some local e c o n o m i c a c t i v i t y.
those who have lost ever ything to war and oppression in their own countries. By rediscovering certain forgotten histories a n d a r c h i t e c t u r e s , Mc L e o d p u s h e s u s t o look at the past critically and as a place t o b e g i n a s w e m a k e n e w h i s t o r y.
Mc L e o d ' s f o c u s o n L e C o r b u s i e r ' s less er-known war time housing projec ts seems to derive from an interest in the untold histories of modern architecture. Pe r h a p s s h e c h o s e t o r e s u r f a c e t h e s e t w o i n p a r t i c u l a r, n o t t o r e m i n i s c e , b u t to teach a lesson from a known master in the arena of housing. Le Corbusier's nearly forgotten, mostly unbuilt, public wartime housing units could provide an import framework for a pressing issue that architects are involved in to day— n a m e l y, f i n d i n g h o u s i n g s o l u t i o n s f o r the waves of immigrants and refugees f looding into cities around the world. There have b een many attempts and many failures to address temporar y housing for
Fall 2017
Mary McLeod. Photo by Richard Schulman.
S epte mbe r 2 7 , 2 0 1 7
M A RY M C L E O D "TO MAKE SOMETHING WITH NOTHING" 74 75
Approach 24
School Reads Architects are designers but also readers. These vignettes provide a snapshot of what various students and faculty members in the College of Architecture are 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 the topics also reflects the broad nature of the undergraduate program, uniquely positioned between architecture's disciplinary knowledge and the liberal arts.
77 77
Wa s h i n g t o n U n i v e r s i t y in St. Louis
College of Architecture
S am Fox S chool of D e s i g n & Vi s u a l A r t s
Ta t i a n n a C a p k o
J a r e d C r a n e (1 9 9 6 - 2 0 1 8 )
Bachelor of Science in Architecture, 2020 candidate
Bachelor of Art in Architecture, 2018 (honorary)
I r e c e n t l y p i c k e d u p G h o s t l a n d : An
I am reading City: Rediscovering the
Am e r i c a n Hi s t o r y i n Ha u n t e d P l a c e s
C e n t e r b y Wi l l i a m H . W h y t e , w h i c h
b y C o l i n D i c k e y, w h i c h a p p e a l e d
is ver y entertaining even though it
to my interest in the paranormal
looks suspiciously like a textbook.
a n d h i s t o r y. A s a c o m p i l a t i o n o f
His discoveries about how urban
the histories of various allegedly
environments af fect human b ehavior
haunted houses, cemeteries, hotels,
are interesting and surprising, and
and more, this book was written
his writing style is accessible and
with the intention of uncovering the
f u n n y. I a m a l s o p a r t l y t h r o u g h T h e
dark histor y behind these places,
Hi d d e n L i f e o f Tr e e s : W h a t T h e y
sp eculating why the y might have
Fe e l , Ho w T h e y C o m m u n i c a t e —
fueled ghost stories. Instead of
D i s c o v e r i e s f r o m a S e c r e t Wo r l d
reaching a conclusion about whether
b y Pe t e r Wo h l l e b e n . T h e w a y
these places are haunted, the book
Wo h l l e b e n d e s c r i b e s h o w t r e e s
is meant to provoke thoughts
relate to each other makes forests
about themes of persecution and
sound like alien civilizations. This
subjugation of minority groups,
book has made me think differently
whether women accused of
about trees, whether I am designing
witchcraft (Salem trials) or the
a project or walking down the
d i s t u r b a n c e o f Na t i v e A m e r i c a n
street. On the lighter side, I just
burial grounds. I was surprised to
f i n i s h e d m y f i r s t r e a d i n g o f Ha r r y
find that odd architecture (such
Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
as staircases that lead to nowhere)
b y J. K . R o w l i n g a n d m y s e c o n d
plays a significant role in the
r e a d i n g o f T h e Na m e o f t h e Wi n d
conceptualization of haunted places.
by Patrick Rothfuss, which is a wonderful fantasy book. - Februar y 22, 2018
Approach 26
W h a t A r e Yo u R e a d i n g ?
Students
2018
Marcellus Johnson
Jenna Schnitzler
Bachelor of Art in Architecture, 2019
Bachelor of Science in Architecture, 2019
I am currently reading Building the
After being assigned a small portion
D r e a m : A S o c i a l Hi s t o r y o f Ho u s i n g
of The Death and Life of Great
i n Am e r i c a b y G w e n d o l y n Wr i g h t .
Am e r i c a n C i t i e s b y Ja n e Ja c o b s f o r
E ach chapter describes a particular
one of my studios, I could not help
place and period in American
b u t f i n i s h i t o n m y o w n . Ja c o b s p u t s
histor y and the housing that
into words what ever yone feels when
ref lected America's social fabric at
they walk through an old city or
t h a t t i m e a n d p l a c e . It i s d i f f e r e n t
smile at a stranger on the sidewalk.
from other texts I have read on the
Over the summer in Berlin I found
same topic in that it is really easy
a copy of The Stair way to the Sun
t o u n d e r s t a n d a n d f o l l o w. T h e r e
& Dance of the Comets, a duo
is a clarity and lack of pretension
of fantastic, pre–science fiction
that is not always easy to find in
short stories and proto-operas
books about architecture and its
by Paul S cheerbar t told f rom the
social effects and determinants.
point of view of a young person
I also recently finished Associate
w i t h w h i m s i c a l m o r a l i t y. Te a c h i n g
Profess or B ob Hansman's b o ok
comforting values with melancholic
P r u i t t - Ig o e ( Im a g e s o f Am e r i c a ) ,
f a n t a s y, t h e a u t h o r h e l p s r e a d e r s
which traces the histor y of the
create their own little dream world
infamous housing project while
within his realm.
telling the stories of the people who called it home.
W H AT A R E Y O U R E A D I N G ? STUDENTS 78 79
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
Katharina Giraldi
Ye n H a
Florence Study Abroad Program
Visiting Professor of Architecture
Recently I read Grazia Maria
This year I dis covered Jenny
Fachechi's essay on the use of the
Erpenbeck and have not been able
color white in architecture in the
t o s t o p. I a m c u r r e n t l y w o r k i n g
j o u r n a l O p u s In c e r t u m , p u b l i s h e d
m y w a y t h r o u g h G o, We n t , G o n e .
b y t h e Un i v e r s i t y o f F l o r e n c e , i n
It i s p a r t i c u l a r l y r e l e v a n t t o t h e
which she argues that white has
work of my design studio here at
been given preference by architects
Wa s h i n g t o n Un i v e r s i t y — w h i c h d e a l s
t h r o u g h o u t h i s t o r y. S h e w r i t e s a b o u t
with aging populations—as the
the colossal model of the medieval
stor y focuses on a recently retired
white facade of Florence's Santa
German academic who becomes
Maria del Fiore cathedral (54 feet
involved with a group of Af rican
high), which was just reconstructed
refugees in Berlin. Erpenbeck is
i n t h e c i t y ' s n e w Mu s e o d e l l ' O p e r a
a mar vel not only at depicting
d e l D u o m o. We k n o w t h a t A r n o l f o
the daily lives of her characters,
d i C a m b i o, t h e o r i g i n a l d e s i g n e r o f
but also in how she uses spaces to
F l o r e n c e ' s b e l o v e d D u o m o, w a n t e d
add richness to their motivations.
his church to b e colorful. S o why
The professor lives alone in the
did the curators choose a white
comfort of his apartment, filled
representation of the church facade
with routine, habit, and memories,
in this reconstruction? As Fachechi
and when he first engages with the
points out, it is "because we all
refugees he finds them in tents at
grew up with a wrong perception
Alexanderplatz, then later they are
of a colorless classical world...."
crammed into an abandoned nursing
Thus, "total white" continues to
home in the suburbs. Highly
be a par excellence dogma used
recommended!
College of Architecture
in architecture inspired by the classical. But can we move away from it?
Approach 26
W h a t A r e Yo u R e a d i n g ?
Faculty
2018
Linda C. Samuels
C o n s t a n c e Va l e
Associate Professor of Urban Design
Assistant Professor of Architecture
For our design studio this semester we
All creative acts require one to be fed
read, among other texts, David Byrne's
with inspiring works; reading is one
Bicycle Diaries and Reyner Banham's
excellent source of creative nutrients.
L o s An g e l e s : T h e Ar c h i t e c t u r e o f
I read the journals Log and Project
Fo u r E c o l o g i e s . T h e t w o a u t h o r s a r e
to follow contemporar y architectural
unparalleled urban obser vers—"I
discourse. For art publications, the
learned to drive in order to read Los
magazine Cabinet is fantastically
Angeles in the original," Banham
interesting, and e-f lux is scholarly
f a m o u s l y s a y s . Ho w c a n y o u a r g u e
and philosophical. In fiction I am
with such commitment to original
r e a d i n g V l a d i m i r Na b o k o v ' s P a l e
research? Currently I am also reading
F i r e . It i s p r e s e n t e d a s a p o e m f r a m e d
E v e B a b i t z ' s S l o w D a y s , Fa s t C o m p a n y :
by commentar y so extensive that it
T h e Wo r l d , t h e F l e s h , a n d L . A . . He r
dwarfs the poem. An architectural
descriptions of rain in Los Angeles, a
parallel would be a drawing so
place where it rarely rains—the smell,
encrusted with annotations that they
and the slickness of the oily streets,
supersede the walls and columns.
and what people do when rareness
Mo r e o v e r, i t c a n n o t b e p i n n e d d o w n .
falls from the sky—are simply sublime.
I s i t a p o e m o r a n o v e l ? Au t h o r e d b y
Great fiction reminds us to rise
c h a r a c t e r s o r Na b o k o v ? O r i g i n a l l y
above the mundane competencies of
formatted on index cards or as a
efficiency and tasks, and allows us the
book? This f luctuation is powerful;
vocabular y to project the beautiful,
here fiction is not simply a stor y that
sensual, and brilliant futures we build
never happened—fiction enters the
through our design work.
reader's realm and throws reality into question.
W H AT A R E Y O U R E A D I N G ? FA C U LT Y 80 81
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.