Pursuing Figuration: Questions of Process, Structure, Scale and Enclosure

In a story, the narrative is captured in the telling; it is the selective details and descriptive moments that evoke a tone or mood. The plot is what actually happens, and a good plot can produce countless stories. We are interested in an architecture that suggests an equivalent multiplicity of tellings, and in plots that suggest narratives that are complex and layered. We look for the stories within stories.
Architecture is made not of intentions but of works. There is no such thing as a good idea … only good expression. In its very essence, it involves a renunciation of words and an engagement with the physical. As architecture students, you are developing ideas about architecture and how architects can create environments that promote occupation. This studio will focus on the translation of your ideas into legible architectural form that engages plot and narration.
In the process the studio will focus primarily on:

• The prerogative of the architect as he/she balances aesthetic ambition with programmatic demands/development (what is useful, essential, and the role of embellishment).
• The pivotal role of scale, material selection and exploration, and detailing in the evolution of an architectural idea.
• Exploration of materials, processes and their technologies and how they can inspire architectural form.
• Investigation of material expression and sensual experience and how it can transcend simple object making.

 
Schedule:
The official studio days for this course are Tuesday and Thursday. However, Brian Healey will be here on Thursdays and Fridays. Students may wish to keep this in mind and avoid electives on Friday afternoons, but the instructors will hold crits around student availability on Friday.