tanvi marina rao
isabella calidonio
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DO(NATION) Isabella Calidonio Stechmann Tanvi Marina Rao ARC 505 Undergraduate Thesis 2019-2020 NEAR FUTURE FICTIONS: Daniele Profeta, Greg Corso & Kyle Miller
May 11, 2020 Syracuse University School of Architecture
This thesis is supported through funding by SOURCE and the Renee Crown Honours Programme
Table of Contents Thesis Contention Research On Donation Centres Donation Centres
dealing with a situation of EXCESS through COLLECTIONS
Donation Centres
as an INTENTIONAL COMMUNITY based on a system of LOGISTICS
Donation Centres
dealing with DISCARDED DONATED GOODS by creating a situation of REUSE
Project Bibliography Acknowledgments
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Thesis Contention
DO(NATION) speculates the future of cities and architecture by critiquing the exasperating rate of overconsumption and overproduction of everyday objects in the world. It imagines the start of a community that counteracts the single-use of objects and their frivolous discard once they have been exhausted of their utility value. The thesis explores a new form of engagement with domestic waste through the lens of communal living, collaborative conservation, and conscious (deliberative) consumption and resue. Excess, Collection, Reuse and Intentional Communities are themes that this project utilizes in making donated domestic waste seem desirable for usage again. Investigating the donation center model through these lenses, the results culminated in viewing the donation center as an intentional community based on a system of logistics that deals with excess through collections and encourages the reuse of donated goods. Through an understanding of French philosopher, Bruno Latour’s definition of an object as an actant that entices events of action, the thesis brings objects to the primal focus of architectural space, which
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then begin to illustrate the narrative of donations and their political, cultural and economic impact. This project begins with donated domestic goods entering a speculative system of logistics that performs defined domestic cleaning practices such as laundry, stitching, polishing etc. This determined set of logistics aims at the optimal improvement of the donated domestic objects. It sorts the domestic objects into three categories: Usable, Repairable and Irreparable. The broken domestic objects are repaired through the decided processes. The new discarded domestic goods undergo domestic treatments such as cleaning, repairing and so on. Once the objects have been treated, they are curated and ejected out to the community into domestic spaces. By extracting the raw material of the irreparable discarded domestic goods, the final step of the logistic casts “floors� on which these donated domestic objects are curated. These domestic living spaces are treated as bedrooms, dining rooms, bathrooms and living rooms. Moving along each of the spaces generated, one engages with objects that were once determined as waste but may now suggest a provocative manner of living.
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ON DONATION CENTERS
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“The consumer is at fault here�
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“We’re the ones that are buying TOO MUCH STUFF and then we want OUR UNWANTED THINGS TO SOMEHOW BE GOOD FOR THE WORLD. It’s really crazy. It doesn’t make any sense.”
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“WE WERE RECYCLING BEFORE RECYCLING WAS COOL”
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For the salvation army, recycling has been a way of life. Earlier, members of the salvation army would go around neighbourhoods with pushcarts to find goods that could be rescued so that they could be used by those who need them.
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Clothes Collection, Salvation Army
The thrift stores of donation centers sell whatever has been deemed usable. One never knows what one will find when they enter the thrift stores. It is always a new experience with the “stuff”.
“WE ARE A DISPOSABLE SOCIETY”
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An excessive amount of toys of all shapes, colour and sizes are donated. They usually do not remain in the thrift stores of the donation centers too long since they are in high demand.
Toys, Salvation Army
The donated goods range from furniture to clothes to knicknacks. Our chosen case study, the SALVATION ARMY finds beauty in these things, and sells them in the store.
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Some of the domestic objects that are donated are usually a product of festivals and onetime events.
DO ALL DONATED GOODS GET REUSED?
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There are five stages to the Salvation Army’s recycling process: BOUTIQUE, STORE, AUCTION, RECYCLE and DUMP. The best of the donations ends up in the Salvation Army’s boutiques stores. Other quality resalable go to the thrift stores. Things that reusable but still not good enough for the thrift stores get sold off in bulk daily to recyclers all over the world. Only one of the three garments go into the stores.
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“WE NEED TO BE MORE KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT WHAT CAN BE RECYCLED”
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Recycling these donated domestic goods is secondary to the primary focus of being able to gain enough monetary resources for the Adult Rehabilitation Centre. However, it is through these donated goods, that Salvation Army is being able to change lives.
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“MOST DONATIONS DON’T SELL”
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Half of what is donated make it to the thrift stores, and half of that actually sell. Each set of donated goods have a certain time frame in the thrift store, after which they are disposed off elsewhere.
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There is a SHIFT IN OWNERSHIP that allows for the original owners to feel reassurance once their discarded objects are NO LONGER THEIR RESPONSIBILITY. People tend to either drive to their nearest donation centre, like a Salvation Army, or deposit their donations in boxes around the city. These organizations PROVIDE RELIEF for those who are overwhelmed by the number of things that occupy their physical space. Likewise, these objects later provide relief to those who cannot make all of their ends meet and lack a proper income to afford many of their necessities. The objects may disappear from the life of the donator, but in the larger context, the object is still present. Our interest lies not only in the DONATED DOMESTIC OBJECTS themselves and the ACT OF DONATION, but also the PHYSICAL SPACE where these objects find a second home; donation centres like Salvation Army.
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DONATION CENTER
dealing with a situation of excess through collections.
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“Stuff” is what Sigfried Giedion called both a constituent and a transitory element of architecture, and its deployment gives solidity as well as provisionality to architecture’s nature as an object” Sylvia Lavin, Architecture in Extremis
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“Even though things do not at first appear architectural because they do not contribute directly to the construction or the inhabitation of the building, they set effects in motion that activate relations between bodies and objects in space, structure, the preception of space, and alter patterns of ciculation and use.� Sylvia Lavin, Architecture in Extremis
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“Stuff, things that have material lives, [...] it’s what gives rise to architecture in the first place. The interior is produced not by walls or other boundaries but by the order, array and number of objects within, which coalesce into a perceptible environment, not despite their generally varied and unpredictable presence, but by virtue of their objecthood independent of the envelope that contains them� Sylvia Lavin, Architecture in Extremis
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“The day all of our unwanted things relocated to the city’s open spaces was the day the new commons appeared. All our idle possessions, discarded objects, various rubble and clutter—the stuff you can always find on the curb or on Craigslist or heaped up in an empty lot—was now the material of a new urban space.” T+E+A+M, Rummage
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As a starting point a series of formal exercises to be performed, the potential of a Salvation Army donation box was studied. As an extension of a larger institution, it is an urban object that PROVIDES A SENSE OF RELIEF from the overwhelming idea of dealing with overflow of possessions. We were interested in the box’s potential as a visual tool for EXPOSING THE ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES that occur in conditions of excess. A study model was produced using materials bought only from one specific Salvation Army thrift shop. We explored the manipulation of the surface by choosing a material that would expose the objects in the interior and their formal qualities. Since the material has a flexible quality to it, the exterior is not determined by walls or other rigid vertical surfaces, but by the amount and shape of the objects within. As people add objects, the flexible walls expand further and the idea of excess of “stuff” is clearly visible to those filling up the box. This “stuff” is what architectural theorist, Siegfried Giedion called “both a constituent and a transitory element of architecture.”
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Rummage, T+E+A+M
On the other side of the spectrum, at the scale of a city, a young architecture firm by the name of T+E+A+M, speculates on the impact of discarded objects in the urban realm. In their competition submission Rummage, T+E+A+M imagines large scale piles of waste placed strategically around New York City. The piles have been organized by categorized objects, like discarded CDs, tables, chairs, rubble, and so on. The material qualities of these objects provided an opportunity for them to regain utility value at a completely different scale than what they used to operate in.
Although the potential of these donated domestic objects to appear as architectural seems almost amusing at first and may not seem to “contribute directly to the construction or the inhabitation of the building,” their arrangement may prompt curated movement through the spaces between them, thus creating motions “that activate relations between bodies and objects in space, structure, the perception of space, and alter patterns of circulation and use.”
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Scarecrow, Buster Keaton
Artist Buster Keaton’s film, Scarecrow, evokes the spirit of adhocism. In this film, Keaton “lives in a house where all the rooms are one room.” Each of the objects placed in this room have diverse innovative uses.
Charles Jencks and Nathan Silver’s view on ADHOCISM suggests that if the clichés of societal use of objects are disconnected from their habitual context, “they can become refreshed through juxtaposition.” However, there is also value in taking advantage of the stereotypical use of objects. If a balance can be struck between the use of objects in their ordinary and unordinary conditions with the intention to fulfill an immediate need, then a relation is formed. This relation may begin an understanding towards this research’s investigation of objects having both functional use as well as architectural characteristics.
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The thrift stores of donation centers categorize donated domestic goods in particular manners. There are two levels of organization involved in sorting goods, the first being the arrangement and grouping of donated objects by intended use. For instance, all furniture is grouped together, all crockery is grouped together, all clothes are grouped together, and so on. Second, in these groups the objects are arranged into subgroups depending on their colour. Our case study, Salvation Army, arranges the objects according to the traditional VIBGYOR colour scheme. Concluding that these DONATED OBJECTS usually belong to DOMESTIC PROGRAMS, a potential relationship could occur with these objects where all the objects could be curated in order to allow for a COMMUNAL LIVING situation, where human beings share the donated domestic objects that would allow for domestic practices such as dining, bedding, bathing and living.
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DONATION CENTER
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Drop City
With the generation of intentional communities came the generation of a type of architecture that was “constructed chiefly out of extremely cheap or salvaged materials and represented the entire repertoire of alternative dwellings developed by the counterculture.” An instance of this may be Drop City, when a group of artists became frustrated with mainstream consumerist lifestyles and wanted to simply “drop out.” Using salvaged material from waste, they constructed shelters inspired by Buckminister Fuller’s Geodesic Domes. This approach created a provocative use of waste that manages to sustain daily domestic practices.
In the built environment, there have been instances of human beings congregating into a community in order to exercise similar beliefs and values. These communities are called INTENTIONAL COMMUNITIES. They aim to COUNTERACT SOCIETAL NORMS they are against and practice their own decided norms of living collectively. The undertone of these set norms of living usually involve the reuse of waste.
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Freetown Christiania
Another existing contemporary intentional community is the Freetown Chirstiania in Copenhagen, Denmark. An important rule in this “Freetown” is that no one can own property and that all residents must contribute to the common good. With guidelines set up to encourage a communalstyle of living, Freetown Christiania became an “unintentional ecovillage.” Christiania offers “fresh insight to a plural vision of sustainability, from not only their values but also their tactics. The socio-spatial temporality of Christiania, foremost as a squat, forcefully uproots the common understanding of sustainability as a long-term goal.”
“An intentional community that encapsulates “the idea of “dropping out” of mainstream life. A frustrated reaction to the consumerist and individual lifestyles, a group of fourteen to twenty people created spaces inspired by Buckminister Fuller’s geodesic dome” The domes were “were built without a systematic kit or exact design, using waste and salvaged material.” Spatial Agency, Drop City
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Kibbutz
Kibbutzim were conceptualized with the intent to promote equality amongst all the community members. Members of the community share communal spaces, such as dining halls and recreational facilities. This act of sharing applies to the scale of the domestic objects used as well. Initially, all of the domestic objects used in a kibbutz were owned by all of the kibbutzians.All of the land owned by the kibbutz is SHARED PROPERTY (shared wealth). Thus, by allowing all of the kibbutzians to share, for example, a couple of kettles in the dining halls, there is a reduction in the number of kettles that may be consumed. This leads to less amount of wastage.
However, not all intentional communal lifestyles were about building with waste, some lifestyles adopted by intentional communities managed to REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF CONSUMPTION that was involved in daily domestic practices. This was achieved by INTEGRATING SHARE VALUES within the community.
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Through a similar lens, DONATION CENTERS may categorize themselves as INTENTIONAL COMMUNITIES as well. They serve to find value in those domestic objects that were ridden of. The thrift stores of donation centres such as Salvation Army highlight the LATENT POTENTIAL of these DISCARDED DOMESTIC OBJECTS. They sell these goods after sorting and treating them to those who need them. They give these discarded goods an afterlife. By providing these goods at a subsidized price to those who cannot afford them at other stores, they help sustain a particular type of demographic as well. At the same time, donation centres act as a relief centre for those who do not know what to do with domestic goods that they do not need anymore. By aiding these sub-communities, the donation centre portrays itself as an intentional community.
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RELATIONSHIPS
Neighbours commit to being a part of a community FOR EVERYONE’S MUTUAL BENEFIT. Cohousing cultivates A CULTURE OF SHARING AND CARING. Design features and neighbourhood size PROMOTE FREQUENT INTERACTIONS and CLOSE RELATIONSHIPS.
PRIVACY AND COMMUNITY
Cohousing neighbourhoods are designed for PRIVACY and COMMUNITY. Residents balance privacy and community BY CHOOSING THEIR OWN EXPERIENCE.
PARTICIPATION
Decision making is PARTICIPATORY and based on CONSENSUS. Self management EMPOWERS RESIDENTS BUILDING COMMUNITY and SAVES RESOURCES.
INTENTIONAL COMMUNITIES SUPPORT RESIDENTS IN ACTUALIZING SHARED VALUES
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Trash Peaks, MIT Architecture
To deal with the matters of waste, its flows, ecologies and logistic, Trash Peaks produces six projects that bring waste to the centre of urban concerns. The installation consists of three components: the carpet, the folding screen and a ceramic table set.
The donation cycle is a dynamic condition. Objects are constantly flowing through various spaces before they reach the final phase, the thrift stores of donation centres. There occurs a detailed coordination of a complex operation that involves people and various facilities; in other words, there is a DETERMINED LOGISTICS set in place. There is a shift in architectural thinking to APPROACH DESIGN from the perspective of the processes that pass through the contemporary environment.
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Sludge Economy, Lize Mogel
By hosting a potluck picnic event in the Riverbank Statepark of Harlem, Mogel hoped to make visible the infrastructure of human waste and the social, environmental, and racial justice issues that are sometimes equally as invisible as the physical infrastructure. Like Mogel, we are interested in utilizing architecture to raise consciousness of the waste produced by overproduction, overconsumption and even the exorbitant amount of waste our own discipline creates.
Thus, with the understanding that donation centres operate “from the perspective of its operational systems and procedural flows,� this research no longer looks at DONATION CENTRES SOLELY IN TERMS OF A SINGLE ENTITY, but rather through THE NETWORK of the donation centre model that is the PRIMARY MOTIVATOR FOR DESIGN. In other words, there is shift in architectural thinking to approach design from the perspective of the processes that pass through it.
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DONATION CENTER
dealing with the waste of donated goods through reuse
Architectural Mountain, Andrew Kovacs
Andrew Kovacs argues that “objects” are a useful resource for producing architectural models. In “Ten Locations To Select Artifacts,” he produces a rudimentary list of ten possible locations for selecting objects of interest varying in size, texture etc. With these locations having a “large quantity of discarded unique 3D objects,” he underlines the importance of “paying close attention to the object’s qualities” when they are being chosen for the purpose of building architectural models. Kovacs provides an insight in repurposing objects for small scale architectural endeavours such as physical model-making and installation projects.
The research investigates the possible ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES that “stuff” contains. These architectural features may involve the arrangement of objects that would allow for private and communal spaces as well as an engagement with objects in unusual mannerisms. Such instances include a space completely empty prior and is then filled with “stuff.”
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Under Construction, Norell Rodhe
Reuse of building materials is not just a problem of logistics and material flows. It is as much a cultural and architectural problem. One of the most persistent architectural conventions is to consider abstract space before objects and materials. Building elements and furnishings should be subservient to a larger whole. This approach is aligned with a view on the world that is inherited from industrialism, in which any materials could be sourced anew and moulded into shape indefinitely.
“Reuse of building materials is not just a problem of logistics and material flows. IT IS AS MUCH AN ARCHITECTURAL AND CULTURAL PROBLEM. One of the most persistent architectural conventions is to consider abstract space before objects and materials� Norell/Rodhe, Under Construction
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This notion may relate similarly to the donation centre philosophy: bringing out new or latent utility value in once disposed of objects. Thus, the “reuse of [donated goods] is not just a problem of logistics and material flows. It is as much a cultural and architectural problem”. Donated objects may be reused in unconventional ways of use or ad hoc ways. A purpose that has been immediately fulfilled is the ideal of adhocism. Architectural historians Charles Jencks and Nathan Silver argued that “by realizing his immediate needs, by combining the ad hoc parts, the individual creates, sustains and transcends herself.” Therefore, encouraging UNUSUAL USE OF THE DONATED GOODS would allow for a broader spectrum of employment for the donated domestic objects in their afterlife.
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Welcome Tent, New Affiliates
Welcome Tent finds an afterlife for fragments of architecture from previously made pavilions. Through this project New Affiliates considers architectural waste and architectural production. The project highlights potential of “re-use” to accommodate for the waste from short-lived projects.
“The production of waste and the production of space go hand in hand.” Curt Gambetta, The Assembly of Trash
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MMUSEUMM
Mmuseumm is a style of storytelling about the modern world. It is Object Journalism. It is a new type of museum, expanding in a network of expected and unexpected locations, dedicated to exploring modern humanity and current events through revealing objects from around the world.
“The collection represents the hermetic world: to have a representative collection is to have both the minimum and the complete number of elements necessary for an autonomous world - a world which is both full and singular, which has banished repetition and achieved authority� Susan Stewart, On Longing
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Farrante Imparato’s Cabinet of Curiosity
“Fundamentally, the purpose of the cabinet of curiosities was to inspire awe and wonder about the natural world and humankind’s place in it. The more exotic or striking the object — the more obscure its provenance — the more cultural cachet it carried for the collector.” Lydia Pyne
“Activated through open display and regular engagement, the contents of these collections have the power to engage in the production of cultural meaning as a museum logical expression.” Megan Panzano, The Art of Display
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The investigation of the Salvation Army Model culminates in our proposed INTENTIONAL COMMUNITY, DO[NATION] based on a system of LOGISTICS that deals with EXCESS through COLLECTIONS and encourages the REUSE of DONATED DOMESTIC OBJECTS.
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The investigation of the Salvation Army Model cu DO[NATION] based on a system of logistics that de the reuse of donated goods. The design explores the possible architectural featur may involve the arrangement of objects that would an engagement with objects in unusual mannerisms Although the potential of these donated domestic first and may not seem to “contribute directly to th their arrangement may prompt curated movement motions “that activate relations between bodies a space, and alter patterns of circulation and use.
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ulminates in our proposed intentional community, eals with excess through collections and encourages
res that “stuff� contains. These architectural features d allow for private and communal spaces as well as s. objects to appear architectural seems amusing at he construction or the inhabitation of the building, t through the spaces between them, thus creating and objects in space, structure, the perception of
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The logistics of flows and networks act as the litera is physically embodied by a machine.
“The job of logistics is to organise flow. In its purpo people and stuff, logistics offers a pure and produ produce space.� Clare Lyster, Learning from Logistics
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al and figurative infrastructures of the community. It
oseful and artful role in managing and transferring uctive lens through which to explore how networks
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The machine works as a function, it inputs donated objects that can come from the centers or the same community, and outputs domestic spaces.Objects donated to this intentional community are designated as usable, reparable or irreparable. Each classified group has its own set of processes that the objects go through. The objects classified as “usable” undergo various cleaning processes. The objects determined as “reparable” go through multiple repair processes. The repairs usually involve an adhoc approach. By having these broken objects repaired in this manner, it allows for a quick and versatile use of the donated object as well as reducing the wastage of the discarded object. Lastly, the donated domestic objects that are irreparable undergo an extraction process. They are broken down to raw material which are then recasted to form components for the living spaces.
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Irreparable objects get broken down to raw material that later gets casted into floors, circulatory pieces, and other necessary domestic objects. Depending on the programme of the space being generated, the objects are arranged accordingly. The donated goods behave both as FUNCTIONAL OBJECTS as well as ARCHITECTURE. Since the curation process cannot begin to cherrypick the objects it receives from the other parts of the machine, it uses their UTILITY VALUE BY AD-HOC. The curated floors are ejected onto the strata of the community as shared domestic living spaces. If an object in the community breaks, it is given back to the machine by the community members. The broken object goes under the logistics cycle again.
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As more and more irreparable domestic objects are donated to the machine, the casted floors get thicker and thicker. Further, as more and more usable and repairable domestic objects are donated to the machine, the spaces of the community begin to change. NO SPACE IS EVER THE SAME as the function of the machine constantly outputs new living quarters for the inhabitants to engage with.
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The treated usable and reparable objects, get curated alongside casted objects on the new floors. Objects that are no longer needed to perform their original utility, perform other functions.
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The domestic spaces produced are classified into Dine, Live, Bed and Bath
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The excess of objects allows them to perform functions which they were not originally intended to. An excess of cabinets can begin to act as an ENCLOSURE to create PRIVACY in bath spaces.
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The spaces are a direct reflection of what is being inputted into the machine. TEMPORAL NATURE of objects plays an important role in the production of space. For example, different months of the year might have a particular surplus of objects.
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The density of objects can determine the capacity of users per space, and consequently, perform other functions, like circulation.
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In DO[NATION], since the donated domestic objects belong to no particular individual or entity, there are NO PRIVATE BOUNDARIES implied. It is certain that the types and arrangement of objects may induce certain types of actions of use. However, with no defined walls, ALL THE SPACES of this intentional community start to belong to ONE SPACE. With no private ownership, the inhabitant is allowed to wander and meander and always find new experiences with the ever-changing presence of the donated domestic objects. DO[NATION]
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Donated domestic goods are not the only entities that are temporal in nature. DO[NATION] welcomes the travelers, the ones seeking refuge, the ones in dire need of resources when they are unable to find them elsewhere. DO[NATION] knows that its refuge is something that could only be sustained for a limited amount of time; however, it is still an alternative option for those who are passing by or for assisting emergency situations. DO[NATION] is a community of people who are as ever changing as the objects that go through it. It is a disposable society. It receives meaningful things. Beautiful things. These things are found in DO[NATION]. DO[NATION]
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READINGS Bair, Kelly, Kristy Balliet, Adam Fure and Kyle Miller. “Andrew Kovacs: Ten Locations To Select Artifacts.” In Possible Mediums. Actar, 2018 As the title suggests, Kovacs lists a “rudimentary” list of ten locations that he believes are ideal to rummage for material that would assist in architectural model building. He praises discarded objects such as old toys, used sheets of paper etc. to have high value in the creation of architectural physical models. Bennett, Jane. Vibrant Matter: A Political Ecology of Things. Durham: Duke University Press, 2009. In this book, Ms. Bennett argues for thingly power. The thesis of the book suggests that non-living objects are crucial to the way a society functions. She cites French philosopher, Bruno Latour’s definition of an actant for reference. Jencks, Charles, and Nathan Silver. Adhocism: The Case for Improvisation. Cambridge: MIT Press, 2013. Coining the term, “adhocism,” the authors define the act as something that immediately fulfils the required purposes by making use of found objects. Koolhaas, Rem. Preservation is Overtaking Us. 2014. Lecture. In this lecture, Koolhaas talks about Hermitage. He envisions an exhibition space that removes the dictated path of movement for viewing artifacts. He calls for free movement that allows for the individual to introspect and allow for herself to view the work as she pleases. Lavin, Sylvia. “Architecture in Extremis.” Log 22, Spring 2011. In this article, Lavin illustrates “hoarding” as an everyday personal activity, to have important architectural implications. Lavin begins to resolve the lack of union between architecture and hoarding by identifying famous examples of it in architecture’s history. She forms a relationship between architectural and nonarchitectural interests. Lyster, Clare. Learning from Logistics: How Networks Change our Cities. Birkhäuser, 2016. Clare Lyster urges for design to shift to focus on the procedural and operational flows of the urban environment. In other words, to think of change from the architectural “figure” to an architecture “flow.” Ponte, A. “Garbage Art and Garbage Housing.” Log, 2006. Alessandre Ponte highlights various art and architecture movements that involved using waste as a crucial design point of view. Some of the projects include, Drop City, Diggers etc. Stewart, Susan. On Longing: Narratives of the Miniature, the Gigantic, the Souvenir, the Collection. Durham: Duke University Press, 1993. The philosophy of a collection, from its organization point of view to its life-giving concept (Noah’s Ark) is highlighted in this essay of Susan Stewart Superstudio. “Twelve Cautionary Tales for Christmas.” Architectural Design, 1971. Superstudio postulates 12 imaginary “cities” that confront society issues and the conditions of living formed by them. Through the tool of narrative, Superstudio aims to provide caution on dystopia situations.
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PRECEDENT PROJECTS Rummage, T+E+A+M The project imagines organised piles of discarded objects placed strategically in an urban environment. The architects begin to speculate on the architectural implications of these large scale piles and their material properties. The Assembly of Trash, Curl Gambetta Gambetta advocates that waste be understood as a point of departure for speculation about the future of cities and architecture. Through a series of projects, exhibitions and symposiums, Gambetta argues for the design of public life and space to be imagined around these issues. The Sludge Economy, Lize Mogel By hosting a potluck picnic event in the Riverbank Statepark of Harlem, Mogel hoped to make visible the infrastructure of human waste and the social, environmental, and racial justice issues that are sometimes equally as invisible as the physical infrastructure. Scabby, New Affiliates The architecture firm, New Affiliates, imagines a recognisable symbol for New Yorkers, the rat at two different scales. One as large as a building in an urban environment and one as small as an object placed on a table. The object turns into a symbol of the social character of New York City. Under Construction, Norell Rodhe This project highlights the reuse of discarded materials in architecture. It looks at industrialization as a means of procuring waste material to build a neighborhood. Welcome Tent, New Affiliates The project considers large scale discarded objects for reuse. The firm confronts the issue of how to deal with the aftermath of short-lived projects such as installations. The project considers architectural waste as they are objects that are at such a scale that they cannot be ignored. Drop City A DIY version of Buckminister Fuller’s geodesic dome made out of salvaged material. This community wanted to “drop out” of consumerist lifestyles Freetown Christiania A self-sustaining community in Denmark, Freetown Christiania has divorced itself from the governing laws of Denmark and fostered an environment that is seen as a pioneer for sustainable living. Kibbutz An Israelian agricultural community, a kibbutz fosters communal living through their shared spaces as well as dictated rules that allow for an equal society. MMUSEUMM A museum that focuses on object journalism. Selected objects which highlight various social, political and economic issues in the world. Scarecrow, Buster Keaton In this short film, the initial set of scenes is very interesting. Through a comical sense, the set has been designed as objects having multiples uses. An instance of this, a bathtub models as a sofa chair. In addition to this, once the water in the bathtub is no longer needed, the water is disposed of through an outlet. After that the water becomes a small pond for ducks to swim through. 95
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This thesis would have not been possible without the constant support, patience and intellectual guidance of the following people, Our advisors, Professor Greg Corso, Professor Kyle Miller & Professor Daniele Profeta & Renee Crown Honors Reader, Professor Mike Davis. Special thanks to, the Salvation Army Community, for their inspiration and constant contribution to society, underclassmen for the last minute help, our studio friends, who after five years, became our family far from home, and to our loving families, who from long distances still managed to be present in every step of the way. Best of luck to the Class of 2020! We are so proud to have been a part of this amazing group of architects. May the future be filled with lots of success and happiness.
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